Time After Time
by JamesSunderlandsPillow
Summary: A series of short stories for Caroluna week exploring the development of their relationship. (I do not own The Loud House. Cover art by Parasomnico.)
1. Day One: A Selfie Together

**Hey there true believers. It's officially Caroluna week here in the fandom, and all I have to say is: I'm more than happy to be a part of this. My contributions will include some loosely connected one shots that I'm hoping will show just what I love so much about these characters together, and I'm very excited to put off (and probably cancel lol) even more projects to share them with you.**

**Your support is greatly appreciated, I hope you know that, and I hope you enjoy.**

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**Day One: Taking a Selfie Together**

_**Catching Up With The Sun**_

Carol Pingrey sits alone on the rim of the park water fountain staring at the edge of the water. Her reflection looks back to her, showing the face of a saddened girl whose expectations have been shattered… like always.

All she wanted was for today to be special. To be productive, but also to be fun. She couldn't do that though, because she had to be herself and spoil it. Because of course she would!

"Stupid…" she utters to herself, running her fingers through the water to ruffle the face looking back to her into vague little waves. She just sits there like this for a little while as the sun sets on the world around her, conversely making for a golden hue on an otherwise blue atmosphere.

It's a hard thing for Luna Loud to discover. She was already feeling bad for the way she acted a few minutes ago, but now she just feels absolutely crummy. It's not too late to say sorry, though. So with that in mind, she sucks in a deep breath, then cautiously paces her way to the older girl. She realizes Luna is there, she has to, but she doesn't look to her. Instead she turns to watch the grass, hoping to kill her pain by averting a pair of guilty brown eyes.

It's fine. She doesn't have to. If she could ask Luna to be with her today, she can take initiative for Carol now. So she takes a seat on the fountain a comfortable distance away from her, setting her polaroid camera down in the space between them. For a few palpable seconds, nothing is said. There's more time for contemplation, for a chance to embrace calm before a possible storm. But Luna knows she has to try and make something good come from this. She knows Carol deserves that.

"What's going on, dude? Seriously…" she begins, the worry in her voice apparent.

For a moment, Carol considers her options. She could theoretically try and dunk her head in the water and just stay there forever… but that'd be goofy. And her hair would get messed up. And, well… she decides that she owes Luna an explanation. It's probably for the best.

"Do you want to know why I really asked you to be my partner for this project?" she asks, still averting her gaze. Luna says nothing, choosing to let the silence suffice as a yes, and Carol recognizes that as she starts again. "I didn't ask you to do this because I thought you were like, some expert photographer or something. Don't get me wrong, I've seen you do well in art class. I know you're not like, bad or anything…"

Luna meets her with a somewhat unimpressed furrowed brow, but ebbs on it as Carol groans at her own incompetence.

"Ugh… I'm so bad at explaining this!" She takes a second to breathe, then finally looks to Luna with piteous eyes. "Look, the truth is… I asked to work with you because of Lori."

"Lori?" Luna questions, her formerly furrowed brow now displaying incredulousness.

"Yeah…" Carol responds, her tone deflating a little. "Every time you come up, she talks about how fun and nice and cool you are.

"You guys talk about me?" Luna adds, surprised.

"Sometimes. I remember her saying you play guitar, and well, I play violin, and… Look, that's not important," she backtracks, growing flustered again with herself. "I just… It made me start to notice you more. In class, in the halls…" A little smile curves on her face as she thinks about these things. "You're just, you've got this spark to you. You give so much to your music, and you're really friendly and easy going. It's not just Lori who sees it either! Everyone does!"

She stops for a moment to fully collect her clinching thoughts, and it gives Luna time to begin digesting it all. It's certainly surprising, and she doesn't actually believe it all to be completely true. But… it is kind of nice to hear.

"I don't know. I guess it's kind of weird to say, but what do I have to lose after making today stink so much, heh," Carol trails off with a forced little laugh. "I just wanted to try and get to know you a little better. I thought… you know…" she spirals, trying to use a hand rolling gesture to make Luna somehow understand the mess of words she's said to her. Until she gives up and realizes she's being kind of spazzy. "Don't make me say it."

For a moment, Luna is simply thunderstruck as her heart tries to tell her mind to tell her mouth what it should say. Eventually though, the warm feeling inside makes it easy to compose a reply, almost like the muse for a new song. And it begins with a smile.

"Dude… I'm… I'm flattered," she begins, finding herself to be the one who has to turn away now to try and hide the fact her cheeks are getting a little pink. "I'll be honest too. When you asked me to be your partner, it was like… why me? You're so cool, and pretty, and popular! I'm none of that."

It shouldn't be this easy to be this shameless, but after seeing how the other girl could pour her heart out the way she did, Carol just lets herself go, saying the things she truly feels.

"Well, thank you. But trust me, it isn't easy being me. I know people say things about me, like I'm some sort of Regina George preppy girl. But you know what? It kind of stinks. It seems like no one actually wants to be my friend because of me or the stuff I like. They just know that I'm popular or whatever and my parents have money so they try to impress me. I hate it."

It hurts Luna to hear that, to see the pain behind blue eyes. At the same time, it inspires her. It gives her courage to keep the honesty train rolling, and to maybe repay some of her kindness with her own. She even decides to make it clear her intentions are pure with the way she carefully rests a comforting hand on her shoulder.

While it does surprise Carol, it isn't unwelcome. In fact, it's kind of nice. The hand, the smile, the honesty. All of it.

"Listen C, I know today wasn't perfect. I'm sorry we had some problems working together to find the stupid perfect picture or whatever it is stupid Mr. Torres wanted. But you know what? It wasn't all bad. I had fun talking about stuff. I had fun hanging out. And it's not because of what clothes you wear or how nice your car is. It's because… I think you're really cool."

Carol's heart begins racing with a new type of anxiousness. Not the kind that could be considered bad either, in fact, it's a warm and fuzzy feeling. Like she can truly be safe trusting this paperclip earring wearing rocker chick. She thought it would be great in her daydreams, but seeing it, believing it, actually having it happen for her? It's better than she could have imagined.

So she smiles at Luna, who meets her with a smile too as she's told, "Thanks Luna. I think you're really cool too."

They could easily get lost in this mutual gaze for a while longer, at least until it gets awkward. But in a way that's all too pleasant a surprise, they're interrupted by something absolutely astonishing.

A butterfly with blue wings that practically _glow _flutters its way over to the two girls, catching both their attention as it hovers its way in between them, setting itself down just for a moment on Luna's polaroid camera. It lingers there for a moment, letting itself be the object of the two girls' bewilderment as they simply stare at it, letting out their own little gasps.

"It's beautiful," they both say together. The way they both say it, kind of spazzingly, kind of wonderously, all sorts of togethery… it makes them look to each other. And that makes them nervously laugh, and even blush a little, with how they see the shared feeling in each other's faces.

They then look back to the butterfly, which remains gracefully perched upon the camera. It's unlike anything the two girls have ever seen, a gorgeously strange part of life they will probably never get another chance to appreciate.

That is until Luna hatches an idea. Her eyes widen and her jaw drops upon having it, but she's obviously not going to be able to use the camera to make it happen. She does have her smartphone though, or, well… she thinks she does maybe.

Carol notices the way she runs her hands through her skirt to try and find it, raising a brow. "What are you doing?"

Realizing she must have left it in the car or something, Luna concedes. There's no time to lose! "Uh, quick dude! Get your phone out!"

No further explanation is necessary. Carol has the same epiphany as she realizes just what her classmate has in mind, and she hurries to get into her pocket to pull out her purple picture taking piece of plastic.

Of course, as she finally gets it, the butterfly decides to choose now to start fluttering away again.

"Dang it," Luna simply cusses, the air being deflated from her.

But Carol won't give up so easily, no. The butterfly is actually flying at a reasonably moderate pace, almost just playing around in the air around them just a few feet away. She tries to hold her phone in a way that can get the little guy (or lady) in focus, but with the way it won't stay still, she can't.

It does not mean she'll give up now though. Not after everything they've been through to get a stupid picture! So as it begins to flutter away a little further, she stands up, offering to hand Luna her camera. "We're going after it," she states, newfound vigor in her voice.

Luna only looks to her with some uncertainty for a moment, blinking a few times before accepting the camera and realizing she needs to get with program now or forever hold her peace. But once she's struck with the same bug, she won't shake it. She stands up too, finding the same urgency. "Right!"

It's wild… They soon find themselves actually chasing after the butterfly all throughout Ketchum Park. Through the walkways and trees, the other pedestrians, all as summer sun shines around them. They run and they run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking, racing around to come up behind them again. But it seems to be meaningful, like the butterfly is doing it all on purpose as it will stop and go again with the more they catch up.

Finally, it leads the girls to the top of a hill, disappearing from their line of sight until they reach the top. They stop to catch their breath for a moment, then look back to the day ahead to find something truly spectacular.

The butterfly has decided to end its ascent by perching in the center of a large mural painted on a monument of a wall. It's an image painted by friends and families of the community alike depicting a beautiful sunny day all too similar to this one, with a lighthouse at the side of a bay. It's such a serene view, especially with the sinking sun around them creating the perfect chiaroscuro.

"Wow…" both girls let out as they walk slowly to get closer to it, just enough to be able to take it all in without startling the beautiful creature they've been pursuing. For a moment, they say and do nothing more as they admire the view, simply in awe that both nature and art can blend so magnificently together to create the perfect image.

_The perfect image._

Realizing time is of the essence, Luna wastes no more time as she steadily aims the polaroid camera, getting the butterfly dead in the center of her aim as she finally presses the button to capture the moment forever.

A flash later, and forever becomes timeless as she pulls the photograph from her camera, shaking it a few times to let the image fully develop. Carol makes her way closer to her, and they both watch as the picture comes to life before their very eyes. And it turned out very well, thankfully.

"Wow, that's-" Luna begins.

"Amazing," Carol finishes. Then, they look to one another, more warm smiles coming to their faces. Not only were they able to finally get what they needed for their class project, but they were able to do it together.

Eventually, the break their mutual gaze to look back to the mural, finding that the butterfly hasn't moved from the wall. Like it somehow wants to be ingrained in the sands of its time, it lingers there, only softly flapping its wings as it waits there like a stone.

"That's one of the craziest things I've ever seen," Carol comments to break the silence again, glancing back to Luna.

"Yeah, it's pretty awesome," Luna only responds, unsure that any of her words could ever really convey just what she feels in this moment she shares with her new friend.

They only watch it for a while, simply taking solace until Carol has an idea of her own. She recovers her smartphone again, and then pussyfoots her way into getting even closer to Luna. "You know, I think we could get one more picture if we wanted to," she suggests.

Luna sees the earnest, inviting look in her eyes, and it makes her smile once more as she decides she'd like nothing more. "I'd love to."

With that, Carol huddles herself against Luna, resting her arm over her shoulder as she steadies the phone with her other hand, being sure to capture herself, Luna, and the image behind them for a perfect background. Once she's all well and ready, she just glances at the other girl, sharing in her warm smile as they pose for the lens.

"Cheeeeese!" they both say.

They disengage to look to Carol's screen, seeing the lovely selfie they were able to take together. It makes them both very happy to see just how nice each other's smiles look in photograph form, and while the butterfly and the mural are still quite wonderful, they have to admit to themselves that that's only their second favorite part of the picture.

And they let that be known with the way that they smile at each other just one more time, staring into each other's mirthful eyes.

"I think we found the perfect picture," Carol tells her.

Luna simply nods. "Yeah, I think we did."


	2. Day Two: Music

**Day Two: Music**

_**Inspiration**_

"Okay, so you've got your D chord. You can play almost any song in the world if you know it," Luna starts explaining as she forms her fingers in the proper shape along the neck of her guitar, being sure to do it slowly so that Carol can easily see just how she does it. She then gives the strings a single strum, letting the note ring out as she looks to her friend with a smile on her face. "Got it?"

Carol scrutinizes her technique, studying intently for a short while before doing her best to duplicate it. She places her fingers where she thinks they're supposed to go, and once she's sure she's ready to give it a try, she offers the strings of her own guitar with a graceful little strum. It sounds just like the note Luna played, and she fails to contain her enthusiasm as she giddily squeals. "Yay! I did it!"

"Yeah you did!" Luna happily affirms, proud of the moment they're sharing together. It really could have gone so much worse. She knows Carol isn't quite into Pink Floyd or Aerosmith the same way she is, and she hasn't even heard of Third Eye Blind. But for every minuet she's able to play with her violin, there's an old time country song that she just can't replicate those sounds with. That's when Luna suggested she let her teach her how to play some simple chords on her guitar, so they can sing _Don't Take The Girl _and _The Chair_ together.

Carol agreed, but on one condition…

"Okay, I fulfilled my end of the bargain. It's time for you to pay up," she tells Luna, snootily putting her guitar to the side with a sly smirk.

Luna becomes a tad flustered. "What?! You learned one chord! How does that count?!"

"Hey, you said I could play any song with just that one chord. So I would argue that's a fair trade for _one _song," she refutes, smiling with the knowledge that she's got Luna wrapped around her little finger right now.

Dang it, she really does too. The way she looks to Luna with her chin over her fist, giddily shaking her foot... it makes her melt like butter. She finds it hard to compose an actual argument to her statement, not because she presented the great debate or anything, but because she just… looks at her this way. Like Lola asking for a tea party, or Lincoln in his blue suit. It's pretty tough to disappoint her by saying no.

It's also easy to tease her a little bit though. So she thinks of a super clever, totally witty riposte. "You're… mean."

"I'm mean?" Carol laughs, really getting a good chuckle from it before straightening up again. "I think you're just too scared to sing for me."

Luna just gawks at her with disbelief, unable to actually compose a legitimate response. Because, sad but true, she's right. Luna is scared. If this were just her siblings, or her friends, or even a little crowd of strangers, she would be fine. This isn't anything she hasn't done before. But a private little concert for Carol? A _serenade?_ That makes her heart pitter patter faster and faster in her chest.

She doesn't want to let her down, but at the same time, her heart won't let her be unafraid. "I- I don't know what to sing," she tells her. Which is true. Even if she was totally calm and collected, the same way Carol tends to be with everything, she'd be stumped.

"Oh come on. You're Luna Loud! You probably know a million songs," Carol eggs her on with a mirthful excitement in her voice.

"Yeah but I don't know like…" Luna trails off, deciding she doesn't want to confess the whole truth after all. "Oh, give me a request."

Carol only pretends to think it over. "Mmm, I'd rather hear something you like. Something from the heart."

"Uh, I don't know, C…" Luna apprehensively admits, rubbing the back of her neck as she looks to the floor.

It's enough of a signal that maybe she's expecting a little too much from her, so Carol relents on the teasing in favor of some empathy. "Well, if you really don't want to play something for me, I guess I won't force you to."

"No. No, I'll play something for you. I just…"

"Just what?" Carol asks, actually getting a little worried.

Luna can see that, and it makes her realize that maybe she's just being too gosh darn shy. She shouldn't have to hide things from this other girl, someone who she's grown to be pretty close with these last few weeks. So maybe she should open up a little. Even if she embarrasses herself, she knows Carol won't laugh (too much) at her. "I want it to be perfect, you know?" she finally tells her, failing to hide the way her cheeks get redder.

Funny enough, Carol finds herself blushing a bit too after hearing that. "You've been hanging around Lori too much," she quips with a little laugh.

"More like hanging around _you _too much," Luna quips back, feeling some of the weight slide off her shoulders.

Seeing her lighten up a little makes Carol relax some too, and she decides to take a new approach in helping her shy little rocker open up just a little more. "There's probably some truth to that. Maybe you just need to find a muse?"

"A muse?"

"You know, something that makes you _want _to sing."

Luna thinks it over. More often than not, these things aren't hard come by. She'll just be in a good mood and hear something really metal, or a bad day at school will make her want to sing some Daniel Powter. Sometimes she'll just see her guitar and remember that hot June night where she saw the light. But right now, there's not a single song that comes to her. She's just… too distracted by other things.

One of those things being a certain person keeping her company. "Well, what would you pick? Like, what would your muse be?" she asks Carol.

It's now her turn to clam up, growing flushed as she tensely rolls her head into her shoulders and looks away. "I uh… I can't answer that without embarrassing myself."

Luna's heart starts _pounding _in her chest as she realizes just what, _who _she means. That makes her cheeks even more crimson than before, and she finds herself having to look away too as they both can't help but just weakly, embarrassingly laugh over how silly it all is. Eventually though, their gazes come back to one another, and when Luna sees the way Carol smiles back at her…

Light bulb.

"Alright, you know what, I've got it. The perfect song for you. You're gonna love it, I swear," she promises as she gets her guitar back up and ready, checking to be sure she'll be in tune for the song she wants to show off.

"I bet," Carol simply says, trying to recover from reducing to a little puddle of saccharine sweet stuff.

Luna clears her throat, putting on her game face as she builds anticipation for the song she'll sing. Then, like a graceful songbird, she begins.

"I'LL TELL YA WHAT I WANT WHAT I REALLY REALLY WANT!~" she sings, really giving it her all to do the Spice Girls some justice. It makes Carol burst into a hearty laugh, and she even has to hold her ribs when she gets to the "I WANNA-HUH" part.

"Bahahaha! You're so dumb!" she laughs, wiping a tear from her eye.

Thankful that her joke didn't fall flat, Luna capitalizes on the momentum she's building and takes pause. "Alright, alright… For real now…" she says before she starts again, this time getting serious as she wraps her fingers around the neck for the proper chord. Once she's good, she takes a deep breath, and does her very best to just try and ignore Carol's eyes so she can focus on her own song.

"You know our love was meant to be… the kind of love to last forever… And I want you here with me… from tonight until the end of time…"

Her voice is breathtakingly beautiful. Between its soft sound and the words she sings along with the soothing guitar, Carol is in a nebulous. Her heart practically freezes in her chest, and all she can do is watch with glossy eyes and a warm smile as the girl continues the song. A song that she said she wanted to be perfect for her.

"You should know… everywhere I go. Always on my mind, in my heart, in my soul… Baby, you're the meaning in my life, you're the inspiration. You bring feeling to my life, you're the inspiration. Want to have you near me! I want to have you hear me saying!... No one needs you more than I need you…"

She doesn't go too much further, deciding to end her little serenade with just a nice little trail off of some arpeggiating finger picks. No other verses, no more words, just letting her guitar do all the finishing talks for her. Once she's completed her tune, she gently presses her palm down on the strings to keep them from making another sound, and she finally lets herself gain the courage to look back to Carol Pingrey.

It takes her a moment to work through her own amazement and actually say something, but when she does, she can only offer her "Wow…"

Oh gosh, that's really all she has to say. It makes Luna so stinkin' nervous, and she contracts a sudden case of diarrhea of the mouth as she spouts any words that come to mind to keep this from getting anymore awkward, weird… awkweird! "I didn't want to sing too loud because my family and stuff. And I think my guitar is kind of out of tune, and-"

"Luna," Carol interrupts, reaching a hand out to rest it comfortably and reassuringly on Luna's leg. "It was beautiful. Seriously."

The big warm smile on her face makes Luna's own blushy cheeks curve with the smile growing on her own lips, and she feels like she's just lifted off her feet and onto a cloud with the way her anxiety whirlwinds into this feeling of liberation and relief. "Thanks…" she simply tells her, losing herself in the way Carol looks back to her with such warmth.

Luckily, the girl is pretty good at this stuff, and she knows just the right moment to look away as she shifts her focus on the guitar at her side. It calls to her, and she answers its call by grabbing it by its neck and maneuvering it onto her lap again. "So, I think I know the D chord now. But what was some of that other stuff you were doing?" she asks, placing her fingers where she thinks they're supposed to go. When she strums the strings though, a very ugly, wrong sound chimes out. "Oooo…"

It's too much, man. It's too much. Luna just keeps smiling though, happy as can be. "Heh. Here, I'll show you," she tells her, then shaping her own fingers accordingly and playing the correct chord.

For a few seconds, or maybe a couple minutes, Carol does her best to try and match Luna's sound, but keeps failing. She isn't sure if it's her fingers, or the guitar, or just some crappy luck, but she just can't her chord to sound like Luna's. Eventually, she hunches, meeting the brunette with a piteous look that shows she's not having much fun getting this wrong over and over again.

Luna doesn't get discouraged though. In fact, she hatches an idea that's so crazy that she just might be able to pull this off. "Okay, uhm, let me uh… I'm gonna scoot in here," she tells her friend before doing just that. She sets her own guitar to the side, then makes her way on the bed beside Carol, getting in close enough that she can wrap her arms around her. To help her with the guitar, of course.

The blonde feels herself smiling unashamedly again, and lets Luna know this as she looks to her eyes. For a moment, all she can offer is this wholesome expression, but then she angles her brow a bit as something else catches her attention. "You smell good," she comments.

"Thanks," Luna laughs, only letting it distract (and humble) her for a second before focusing on what she's been meaning to do. "So, you wanna place your fingers here. Don't forget to pinch down hard," she instructs, actually using her own hand to just reach for Carol's soft, dainty fingers and guide them where they need to go.

"I'm pinching," she laughs. "What chord is this?"

Luna takes a moment. "Uh… I don't even remember," she laughs in response. The two of them just fall into a familiar sense of giddy because of it, smiling warmly as the reason and rhyme belatedly come to Luna's mind. "It's a G chord. You can play pretty much any song in the world if you know it."

"Ahh. Another one of those, huh?" Carol comments. "Well, that means you have to sing another song for me then."

Carol is a very tactful, very smart girl. It's something Luna admires most about her. But every once in a while, she can match her gift of gab with something clever of her own. "Well, maybe if you tell me what your muse is I can think of something."

Unlike before, Carol doesn't tense up. She doesn't shy away. This time, with Luna's arms wrapped around her, with her guitar in her hands, she just wants to tell her how she's feeling, she wants to have her hear her say it. "Let's just say… you're the inspiration."


	3. Day Three: Angst

**I have to give a special shout out to Sunny Eclipse. For starters, this scenario was kind of her idea, and I just decided to do my own spin on it for the day's prompt kek. More importantly, she's one of my best friends in the world, I love her dearly, and she's done so much to help me feel like Caroluna really matters. I honestly can't thank her enough.**

**I also want to thank the rest of you for doing your part. Thanks so much, and I hope you enjoy what's to come!**

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**Day Three: Angst**

_**What Hurts The Most**_

"Why isn't she texting me back?" Luna thinks to herself as she checks her phone for what has to be the fiftieth time in the last hour. She messaged Carol after lunch, just sending her a kissy face emoji after their fun little talk before class. The same talk where they established that Carol would give Luna a ride home from school, and maybe even stay for dinner. Miss Pingrey proceeded to respond with a hug emoji, and a short while later, Luna sent one more message asking if she wanted to stop and buy a pop at the vending machine before meeting up.

That was one hour ago.

_"Maybe her phone died. She forgets her charger sometimes. And I know she doesn't like borrowing stuff from people, so she probably just doesn't have a charger," _she tries to tell herself just before the dismissal bell rings for the last class of the day.

As she walks the halls with her earbuds in, shuffling her playlist to just whatever song will play, she checks her phone again. She still lacks any notifications, so now she begins to worry. _"Okay, if she was busy, she should be able to check her phone by now. Did something happen? Is she okay?"_

She's concerned about that, but at the same time, she's selfishly afraid for other reasons.

_"I didn't do something wrong did I?"_

Unfortunately, her mind gets the worst of her as she continues her way through the halls and out of the building.

_"Okay, we were having fun at lunch. Is she weirded out about that emoji I sent? Am I being too clingy? Did I say something bad without realizing it?"_

At first, she could be considered anxious. However, as she makes it out to the parking lot, she becomes genuinely upset. Carol's black BMW soon comes into view, but the purple clad owner of the sedan is nowhere to be seen. It sends shakes and shivers all down Luna's nerves, and she finds herself feeling quite vulnerable as other classmates stroll along without a care, all while she stands alone.

She's scared that sending Carol another text message will be a little spazzy, but she decides that she is more scared of her friend being a no show. Something could have happened. She could be waiting for her somewhere else. There are lots of possibilities, some that could be legitimate cause for concern, and that's bad enough for her to risk coming off a little annoying.

She simply sends a "?" to Carol, but with the slow burning seconds that pass, she again gets nothing in return.

_"What if she went to the vending machines and she's waiting for me there? Maybe I should go check… But, wait. What if I go and then she ends up here, and she doesn't have a charge, and she doesn't wait for me?! She wouldn't just leave without me, would she?"_

She feels so stupid breaking an actual sweat over something this silly, but it scares her! She trusts Carol. After all the things they've shared together in such a short period of time, the last thing she wants is to think that maybe it was all in vain…

She's to the point that she actually considers _calling _her, because she's that anxious, but thankfully, it doesn't have to come to that. Carol finally makes her way to the same lot, and Luna removes her earbuds as a smile comes to face. "Yo, C!" she greets, not even caring that she sounds a little too excited.

It becomes even easier to disregard as she discovers the crestfallen nature to Carol's walk, and she feels her heart sink a bit as she says nothing in return.

"Carol?"

She looks to Luna now, raising her head to stop looking down to the pavement to meet her eyes. In her baby blues, there's an obvious sadness. She isn't happy to be here right now, and in fact, she almost looks angry as she furrows her brow and ignores Luna on her way to her driver's side door.

While she pulls her car keys out of her purse, Luna feels herself almost paralyzed with fear before the adrenaline surges through her body, forcing her to act on her disposition. "Hey, Carol. What's up?" she starts again, trying to make it not totally obvious she's sort of freaking out.

Carol doesn't even offer her a corner of the eye glance. She just focuses on getting her keys, unlocking her door, and making her way into the car. "Hey," she simply says, void of any real emotion.

While she's dangerously close to needing someone to kick-start her heart, she perseveres through endorphins alone. "Uhm, are you still giving me a ride home?" she asks without really thinking it over, and she regrets her choice of words immediately after speaking them.

"I'm just going home alone," Carol curtly responds, averting eye contact as she places her keys in the ignition and starts her car up. Before Luna knows it, she's working to even get her seat belt buckled, like she's just about to drive away like this! She can't let that happen!

It's like time goes into some sort of desperate slow motion as she scurries her synapses to try and find reason and logic in this current situation, and her nerves do all the acting for her as she frantically grabs hold of Carol's door, risking getting her fingers smashed in them as she blurts out "Wait!"

Now Carol looks to her. What could almost be considered hatred permeates her normally saccharine eyes as she bores a hole into Luna's soul with them. She doesn't say anything with her words, but the gaze alone is enough to tell Luna that something is seriously wrong, and it's probably her fault.

"Dude, what's wrong?" she asks, not even hiding the desperation in her voice.

Carol grinds her teeth as she thinks about what she wants to say to answer that, but an almost proud spite comes to her tone as she finds what she's looking for. "You know what you did. Don't pretend you didn't do anything wrong," she claims with vengeful eyes.

It stuns Luna in her place, making her jaw drop and her eyes widen. She isn't going one to shy away from admitting she's made a mistake, but that's only when she knows what she did wrong. Right now, it's like she's been suddenly punched in the gut, and she has no clue how to recover. All she can do is try to stay on her feet, _try _to talk this out and figure out a way to make things right. Even if she isn't sure what's wrong.

"What are you talking about?!" she blurts out, almost instinctively.

It's enough to make Carol's ire even more venomous as she practically barks back with, "Oh come on! You seriously haven't heard what people are saying?"

"Who?" Luna belatedly asks.

"Everyone!" Carol answers with a shaky voice, like she could burst into tears if she heard the wrong thing.

It's enough to make Luna realize she really needs to be careful if she wants to tide things over. So she takes a second to try and steady her breath, being mindful not to take too long so that Carol doesn't just drive off in a fit. Luckily, she makes the best use of her window of time, and she's blessed with an almost epiphanic composition of a reply. "What are they saying?" she questions, doing her best not to sound too excitable.

Carol again grits her teeth as she uses the steering wheel of her car as a stress ball, squeezing it hard as she composes her own follow up. She could get emotional, but she decides it's better to be pragmatic and to the point. After all, even when she's upset, she tries to have some decorum. Even if using curse words would feel better… "They're saying the exact things I told you about the other day. The exact things I hate the most," she starts. "You don't actually like me. You just want to take advantage of me because of what I have!"

Not only do her words legitimately surprise Luna, but they also sort of offend her. She'd really believe what others have to say about her, people who have no idea who she is and what she stands for? People who don't appreciate Carol the way she does?

But she tries not to let those thoughts overwhelm her. She knows she needs to give Carol the benefit of the doubt, and she knows that getting defensive won't help her case. She also knows that if she can convince her she's not lying, that Carol will do a lot of apologizing later. She learned from the best in regards to thinking along those lines…

She keeps that in mind as she does her best to be diplomatic with her response. "Carol… That is so not true!"

"Save it! You're just trying to get people to notice you! Or do you just like me because of how I look? That's it, isn't it!"

"Dude, stop!" Luna sternly tells her before proceeding with her defense. "Look, I don't care about the way you look, or what you drive, or who you hang out with! I care about you for you!"

If looks could kill, Carol's snarl would be a finishing blow to the younger girl. But she doesn't drive, she doesn't falter. No, she sits there and watches Luna, hearing her out as she continues pouring her heart out.

"Look, I don't need a ride home. I can call Lori or Chunk or somebody," she continues, taking her hands off the car door. She then changes her tone into something less aggressive and more sympathetic, hoping to carry that in her words and tone as she elaborates further. "Honestly, it hurts to think that you'd take someone else's word over mine here. I meant everything I said to you the other day, everything about you being really cool…"

Carol's furrowed brow ebbs a bit upon hearing those words.

"I really like you, Carol. Yeah, you're really pretty, and it's awesome you have a car and a violin and a super nice house with its own flippin' studio. But take away all of that, and I don't care. What I care about is how much fun I have with you when we're together…"

Dang it, Carol really wants to be upset with her. But now she isn't sure what to think. She's known her friends like Whitney and Dana for a lot longer than Luna, and she knows they wouldn't say the things they did about her just to drive a wedge between them. Maybe they were misinformed and too hasty to spread gossip. Maybe Luna is really telling the truth… But…

"I hope that's true, Luna. I really do," she begins, her voice still cracking. "I meant what I said too. About thinking so highly of you. But I'm scared too, I won't lie. When I heard you might only talk to me for… other reasons… It broke me a little. I don't know. I'm sorry if I'm overreacting, but… I don't know if I can handle getting hurt right now…"

In a way, those words singe something in Luna's heart strings. They're almost enough to make her tear up. But at the same time, in a weird way, they give her the strength and bravery to just say what she really feels. To not hold back.

"When you said those things about me the other day… I won't lie, I felt amazing. I can't remember the last time someone was so nice to me just to be nice to me," she explains. "I don't know, Carol. I know we've only been getting to know each other for a few days now. But… I feel like there's something really special about you. I don't want to screw up… whatever this is," she pleas.

It's an unusual feeling wearing her heart on her sleeve in such a way. She seldom speaks like this, often letting her guitar do her gentle weeping for her. But like it's so easy with Carol to be open about the things that make her laugh, she can about what makes her cry. She makes it easy to believe it's time for her to fly. And right now, she doesn't mind flying so close to the sun. She'll gladly let it burn her if it means she can make things okay.

While it's hard considering everything she's been told, everything she's had trouble weighing in her mind… Carol can tell that much. At the very least, she wants to believe. She wants to believe that above all the others, they can fly. So, she lets her grip on the steering wheel loosen up, and lets out a heavy sigh.

"I don't want to mess this up either. I'm sorry, I know this is weird. I know it's a lot happening fast. But… I don't know, Luna. I'm the happiest I've been in a while hanging out with you. And well, I guess I freaked out. I'm sorry."

"I won't lie, I was freakin' out myself here," she weakly laughs before getting serious again. "Listen, I'm sorry too. I don't wanna bring you down. So, if you wanna be left alone tonight, that's fine. I get it. I'll give you your space…" she dejectedly says before taking a couple steps back, allowing her eyes and Carol's to take a break from all this intensity. Eventually though, she's forced to look back to the other aching girl, enough to at least let her know her words will be here when she's gone. "Just don't let a little space become distance, you know?"

With that, she decides it's time to walk away. It won't be easy, and frankly, she might cry about it later while playing some sad songs. But it's what Carol needs. Everybody needs some time on their own…

The blonde meets her steering wheel with pain in her heart, and while she almost wants to just let Luna walk without even looking to her… She can't. She has to look up to her, the same way that she did when she was so charmed by her to begin with. It's hard to imagine that those things she accused her of could be true, but even harder to accept that, in a way, she was so easily capable of believing them. She's been betrayed one too many times, even by the nicest looking boys and girls.

But none of them have ever just been able to walk away the way Luna does now. None of them seemed to be so sullen over her words.

She shuts her eyes as hard as she can, bringing her fists to her steering wheel once more for a tight, _tight _squeeze.

"Hey, wait!" she finally blurts out, looking back to Luna.

The rocker turns back, and sees the piteous expression encroached on her face. There's still some anger and sadness, but not of disdain for others. No, she's turning this sword to herself now, ready to accept the cut. But she doesn't show it with tears or yelling, she doesn't even offer an empty apology. Instead, she wants to have a change of heart, one she can wear on her sleeve.

"Do you still want a ride home?"

Obviously, Luna is unsure how to react. On one hand, she could really use a ride home sooner than later, and Carol has bangin' speakers. Possibly making amends so soon after the sudden drama would also be nice.

But there's the rub. Can they really work this out? She doesn't know… But, she decides to she'd like to try.

"If you want to," she simply responds.

Carol says nothing. Instead, she pulls herself around, turning her car so that Luna can easily make her way in through the passenger side. Of course, Luna is a bit apprehensive to step inside the car, but she swallows that fear and makes her way in, getting comfortable for the drive ahead.

For a few minutes, no words are exchanged between the two as an uncomfortable silence lingers. Luna chooses to look outside the car window, working through her emotions in the same way the car rides along the asphalt. Carol simply focuses on driving, doing her best to think of how to remedy the unpleasant aura around them. She knows it's her fault, she knows she could have handled this better. Luckily, the traffic outside the car is rather unexciting, making it easier for her to navigate the troubles in her own path.

"I'm really sorry about what I said. I should have talked to you first," she speaks up as that sentiment comes to mind.

With the way things have seemed to have shifted gears for these highway stars, Luna is able to regain her usual level of composure. Sure, she's still nervous about where things stand between them, but now that she's sitting in this sleek ride with Carol instead of standing outside her doorway, she feels like she can put her usual level of trust and comfort back into her. "Hey, you were mad. I get it," she offers her with a casual shrug, hoping some of her optimistic composure will be contagious.

It works a little, because Carol feels a little smile grace her lips. "Why are you so nice to me?" she asks.

"Because you're so nice to me," Luna answers with a smile of her own. "For real though, Carol; I'm not upset. I'm okay if you're okay."

She feels bad, stupid even. But dang it, Luna's smile sure does something for her that makes it easy to forgive and forget. Maybe this wasn't the best way they could start their evening ride, but if it can get better… that's fine. That's perfectly okay. "I will be."

Hearing that gives the hole is her soul a feeling of fulfillment. Feelings all too similar sway through her nerves, but most of them are good. Like she knows there's hope. If they can get through a little angst, they can get through anything.

Maybe even dinner with her family… "Well… the offer to stay for dinner still stands… If you'd want to," she skittishly suggests, trying to sound casual, avoiding being pushy, hoping maybe she's not a fool for believing things can work out.

Funny enough, all Carol wants is to do those same things.

"Yeah. I think I will."


	4. Day Four: On A Date

**Day Four: On A Date**

**_Princess Prom I_**

A deep breath leaves Luna's body as she takes just one more look at herself in her bedroom mirror. Her nerves are almost shot, and her feet already hurt a little bit. If she has it her way, she'll never put on a pair of heels again. But even she has to admit, Lola and Leni did a great job helping her get gussied up for the occasion. Her dress looks absolutely flawless, her make-up is on point, and even her short brown hair has been parted in a way that really makes her eyes pop with everything else going on.

Yeah, she thinks she looks good. Probably the best she's looked in her life. But really, what matters the most is… will Carol think so?

Never in a million years did she think she'd actually end up going to a high school prom, at least not with a date, and definitely not in her sophomore year. The most realistic scenario would have been her somehow booking a gig to perform live with the Muddy Flippies as live entertainment, but no, tonight she's actually living out a desire she never even knew she really had until that certain someone asked her to come to the dance with her. Ever since then, all she's been able to think about is how she could possibly get this close without messing everything up, or how someone like Carol could really want someone like her to be her… date? Plus-one? She isn't even really sure.

Even so, beneath her tower of insecurities and doubts, there's this little flicker of hope that keeps her excited. It keeps her from just going back to bed and swaddling herself in a woobie for the rest of eternity. It almost convinces her that maybe, just maybe, she's good enough to be Carol's companion tonight, and well… at the very least, she thinks they'll be able to take some good pictures together.

Not that Carol ever has trouble taking good pictures.

She could probably lose herself in these conflicting thoughts for the rest of the night if she wanted to, but in a sort of fortuitous way, a knock on her door finds its way into her nebulous. She welcomes herself back to reality, and breaks her trance away from her reflection to address whoever has come to her doorway. "Come as you are," she greets.

The door creaks open to reveal one Lori Loud, who has just finished prettying herself up for the 'best night of her life' as well. "Hey," she simply greets with a little smile, inviting herself to step her whole way into the room to join the side of her younger sister. Luna says nothing in return, timidly shifting her focus back to the way she looks in the vanity to be sure she can still see herself as something to be desired. Lori can read her shyness, but remains optimistic as she makes her way behind her, choosing to go as far as to rest her comforting hands on her shoulders as she joins her in looking through the glass.

"Are you nervous?" she sweetly asks, hoping that her soothing voice can offer her some comfort.

"A little…" Luna admits. "A lot…"

That makes the eldest Loud daughter smile. "Don't be. You look amazing. Carol's going to think so," she tells her, perking Luna up with a bright eyed, flustered expression.

Lori knows Carol better than anyone. And while it would be easy to stubbornly refuse to accept that there's any chance she's right about what she said… she doesn't. As a matter of fact, it actually helps Luna feel a weird blend of excitement and relief. "Heh, you really think so?" she asks as she turns to offer her sister a bubbly little smile of her own.

Lori just smiles back, happy to know that she's totally right.

She knows she's been given an inch, that she shouldn't take a whole mile. But dang it, she's so gosh darn nervous, and the only person in the world she has to talk to about this stuff is standing right in front of her in the prettiest blue dress in the world. "Lori, can I ask you something?"

"Of course! What's up?"

"Well… uhm… I know you're her best friend and all, so I thought, you know… Maybe you guys have talked about this sort of thing," she trails off, nervously rubbing the back of her neck. She's able to muster the gumption to swallow the lump she's choking on though and look into her older sister's eyes to ask the one thing that's made her toss and turn at night more than anything else, "Do you think she likes me? Like, _like _likes me?"

Lori sweetly laughs. "That's a lot of likes." She can't help but fix a strand of Luna's hair as she looks into those warm brown eyes, seeing just how truly scared she is. But all the while, her smile never leaves her. "Well, to be honest Lunes, I'm not sure. I really don't know, because she hasn't told me. I haven't asked. But I do know this. I know she wouldn't have asked just anyone to join her for the biggest night of her life. She thinks the world of you, and well… no matter how tonight goes, one way or the other… I think you two are going to have the time of your lives."

Of course there's some lingering, pestering doubt. Until the time comes that she can look her... date in the eye and see for herself just what this night is supposed to be for the two of them, she can't be sure. Even so, she feels really happy to have Lori as a sister. Not that that's anything new. "Thanks Lori. You're the best."

"I know," she teasingly responds. "Now come on. Let's go see the 'rents before Dad starts crying again."

"He's already cried?"

"Three times," she clarifies, and with that, the two young women make their way out of the bedroom and out the door to begin the biggest night of their lives.

Downstairs, a loving husband and wife, mother and father eagerly wait for their kids. Well, one of them is eager, at least.

"Pull yourself together, Lynn. You still have to take the picture, remember?" Rita Loud tells her husband as he shamelessly shows off his more… sensitive side.

"You're right. I can do this!" he declares (before he sniffles), trying his best to man up so that he can be ready for what will go down as one of the proudest moments of his fatherhood. He never imagined that two of his daughters would be going to their high school proms on the same night, at least not until the twins get older. And yet, here he is, the proud father of two young women about to take their first steps into adulthood. And it wasn't so long ago that they were taking their first steps period.

He huffs in a deep breath and puffs his chest, turning towards the metaphorical wind as he awaits his daughters' decent down to the living area. His wife warmly smiles at him, reassuring him that he can be strong with the way she rests her hands on his broad shoulders.

Then, two pairs of high heels clatter along the floor, revealing the angelic auras of two beautiful women who wear them. Alone, they look almost like models ready to strut along a catwalk, but together, they're breathtakingly stunning. Never before the two girls looked so mature, so confident, so adult. If at least one of them doesn't win the crown of Prom Queen, it would cruel unjust.

Rita just watches in awe as the two girls make their way down the stairs with nothing short of grace and poise, proud as a mother can be to have raised her girls to make it to this night. She'd actually "Aww!" at how sweet it feels… if not for her becoming perturbed by the sound of a grown man's hysterical crying.

"BUH HUH HUH HUH HUH HUH HUUUUH!" he cries, burying his face into his hands before moving it into his wife's shoulder. She just shakes her head and rolls her eyes, choosing to disregard it for the time being to instead give their children the attention they deserve.

"You two look beautiful," she compliments, earning smiles from both of them. For Lori, it's almost as if she expected it. She doesn't take it for granted, but she's been in positions like this before, fetchingly draped, a picture of sophisticated grace. She just smiles and tells her mother "Thank you," as she returns a hug from her.

Luna though, she has to blush. Getting on a big stage and going for a mosh pit stage dive is nothing to her, she's been there, done that. But this is all so new to her. She's more Wayne Campbell, not Cinderella. Even so, her mom disengages from Lori to invite her into a hug of their own now, and she keeps her wits to her enough to accept her love and squeeze her back.

* * *

_*We spent the summer with the top rolled down, wished ever after would be like this. You said I love you babe without a sound, I said I'd give my life for just one kiss. I'd live for your smile... and die for your kiss!*_

Carol never cared much the radio's local rock station. The songs were loud and obnoxious, and some of them she could hardly understand the words to them with their pig grunting. And the overly long, earshotting guitar solos? Ugh…

Somewhere along the line though, she stopped pulling up her Spotidoratube's Bach and George Strait playlists and just started listening to the radio. Maybe it was just one of those things were spending so much time with her favorite rock n' roll loving shotgun rider conditioned her to keep an open mind to different music, or maybe she's just too concerned about other things tonight to worry about what she listens to on her way to 1216 Franklin Avenue.

She likes what she hears though. It reminds her of Luna. The sound, the lyrics…

Somewhere along that same line, that same shotgun rider became a song of her own, creeping her way inside of Carol Pingrey's mind and getting stuck in there, playing again and again and again without ever getting old. Thoughts of sharing their loves for music and the arts, being able to overcome all angsty odds, and realizing that they'd look really cute together in their best Disney princess dresses made her decide to take a chance and ask Luna to tonight's senior prom, and while the thought of that would never have dawned on her until recently, she knows in her heart that it's the right thing to do. The _best _thing.

Does going with a sophomore punk girl hinder her chances of becoming Prom Queen? Probably. But at this point, she could care less about that plastic crown and getting everyone to stop what they're doing to give her a round of applause. She doesn't need their validation and approval, it won't hurt her illustrious high school resume to miss out on that scenario she played out in her head all those months after winning homecoming queen.

What she wants now is far more important in the long run, and all she can worry about tonight. It's why she keeps checking the way she looks in her rearview mirror. It's why it took her the longest out of all her friends to get ready this evening. It's why with every yard closer to the Loud house, her heart pounds faster and harder in her chest.

It's why she finally decided that whatever she's feeling for Luna Loud can't be called friendship. It's something more. She just wants to finally know what.

"_This is stupid. Luna hates this kind of stuff. She'd probably rather go to the dance with her friends and play music for everyone. I hate wearing heels! Of course she's going to!" _part of her thinks. But despite those cynical thoughts, there are images in her head of the two of them walking side by side into the school gymnasium, the whole crowd of people stopping everything to watch them as they make their grand entrance together. They probably won't give a big round of applause, it would actually be kind of weird if they did… But it will still make them feel good to see that everyone else agrees they look cute together.

Then after having their fun taking pictures and laughing with each other's friends, they'll dance and enjoy the night's festivities before finally settling down with one last song, a perfect, feelsy slow song that everyone will dance with their dates to. Luna will get into Carol's arms, they'll waltz together while losing each other in the melodies of their inner songs, and finally…

"_What if… What if tonight actually turns out to be perfect?" _Carol thinks with a smile as she closes in on her arrival.

It would appear that Lori's date arrived just a little sooner. Bobby Santiago makes his way out of his truck and fixes up his tie while looking in the rearview before sucking in a deep breath. Then he takes himself, obligatory flowers in tow, up to the front door of the Loud house, and doesn't even get a chance to knock before his date swings open the door to greet him.

"Boo Boo Bear!" she happily cries before he whisks her into his big, strong arms for a hug.

"Babe!" he tells her before holding her tight for a few seconds, really showing her how glad he is to have her for the evening. Seeing it makes Carol smile, a warm, fuzzy feeling coming to her chest. Partly because she's happy for the loving couple, and well… partly because, that could be her with her special someone someday.

The moment of truth arrives as she parks her black BMW just behind Bobby's truck, and she shuts off the engine before leaning back in her seat. _"Well, this is it. The second I leave this car, the night of my life begins. How am I even supposed to be ready for this?" _she asks herself as she looks one more time into the rearview to make sure she looks presentable. She isn't shocked to find that she does, but it doesn't stop some of those pestering doubts from niggling their way into her mind. What if Luna doesn't agree? What if she does, but only in a way that a friend would? Not something more?

That thought weakens her, truthfully. But then she thinks back to all the times they've shared together these last few weeks getting to know one another. She thinks of every game they've played, all the moments they've shared with ten other awesome kids in this very house, and every song they've sang together going into this evening. It all makes it easy for her to smile and get excited again, especially if they get to have plenty more of that going into the future.

It also makes it clear that she can't wait in her car forever if she really wants to enjoy tonight. So she takes the deepest breath she can muster, hoping to sink every worry and doubt underneath the feelings that made her ask Luna to join her in the first place. It works well enough that she can distract herself with the now, choosing to finally open her door and make her way to the residence just like Bobby did. The door is still wide open from where he made his way in, and she sees the light shining out only being blocked partly by the shapes of four other people. Him, Lori, Mrs. Loud, a very emotional Mr. Loud…

"Carol!" Lori calls out from inside as she shifts her focus from her beau to her bestie. As expected, the other blonde haired girl looks astonishing in her dress, and the radiating smile on her face is quite contagious as Carol makes her way to go hug her.

"Hi Lori," her BFF tells her, and she puts all of herself over so that she can show this girl how happy she truly is for her with the way they share a compassionate, lasting embrace. They only disengage after a few seconds to show it, and they turn those smiles to one another as they hold hands and look to one another.

"Are you ready to have the best night of our lives?" Lori asks, not even speaking in hyperbole. She wants her self fulfilling prophecy to come true tonight, and she'll do her best to not only make herself believe it, but spread that positivity to everyone around her. Especially her best friend.

It isn't difficult to embrace it. In fact, Carol buys in as she grins from ear to ear. "Totes," she simply says, giving herself this moment to fully appreciate the relationship she has with such an awesome person.

There's just something about Loud sisters that makes it easy to really like them…

Mrs. Loud practically forces her husband by the arm over to Miss Pingrey, and she happily greets the young woman. "You look lovely, Carol," she tells her.

"Aww, thanks Mrs. L!" Carol simply tells her, and with that out of the way, Rita gets down to business. She knows what it's like to be a teenage girl about to head to prom, and she'll be the last person to debilitate anyone's experience tonight.

"Luna! Carol is here!" she hollers to her.

"Coming!" her daughter responds, and a few seconds later, she steps out of the dining room and into the foyer…

Poor Carol Pingrey's heart absolutely _melts _as she sees Luna for the first time tonight. Her dress is so pretty, and the way she skittishly smiles back to her with her adorable little head trying not to ball up into her shoulders is just so stinkin' cute! She's nervous too! Knowing that it's up to her to make sure she knows that she isn't alone with these conflicting emotions about the night ahead is enough to make Carol snap out of her brief daze, and she straightens up to approach her date for the evening. She doesn't spazzingly reach out for a hug or start rambling on about how cute she looks. Instead, she just offers her a timid little "Hey," and a smile.

Luna returns the gesture with a "Hey" of her own, and for a moment, they just weakly, happily laugh to each other. In just a small little exchange, they forget about those fears and insecurities as they study each other's princess-like presences, taking solace in the knowledge that at the very bare minimum, their dates look wonderful tonight.

The sight of his daughters seeming so happy to be with their special someones is almost enough to reduce Mr. Loud to a puddle, but the moment Rita speaks aloud "Well, since your father is… _this, _I guess I'll be taking the pictures," he snaps out of his crybaby daze to be the good man he has to be.

"No!" he declares before one last sniffle, "I can do this!" With that, he makes his way over to get his old school polaroid camera, taking a deep, nasally breath before getting serious. "My entire life has been leading up to this moment…"

Lori and Bobby just laugh and shake their heads over the melodramatic display, taking a second to also check and make sure there are no proverbial ruffles in their feathers before having their snapshots captured forever. Realizing that that's about to happen for not only the two of them, but also for each other, Carol and Luna also abscond from their reveries to be sure they look good for the camera too. Carol seems quite content with how she's looking, and so does Luna. However, she does notice something just a little off about her date, and she makes it clear with the way she stares inquisitively at her for a moment.

Before she can even ask "What?" Carol finds a stray strand of hair being moved from her face by Luna's fingers. Once the abnormality is taken care of, she offers her a warm, sweet smile that makes her heart melt a second time in mere minutes. She realizes that this will probably become a recurring theme tonight, and that just makes her smile even brighter.

Lynn Sr finally gets enough composure to ready his camera. "Alright kids. Let's start with the happy couple," he says. It leads to just a tad bit of confusion as all four prom-goers exchange uncertain glances, because they all have different ideas of who he's talking about. Picking up on this, a warmly satisfied Rita takes initiative on their behalf.

"I think he means you, Lori and Bobby."

"Oh!" both seniors laugh before getting in position to take their first photo. Of course he was talking about them! They're actually a couple! Carol and Luna? They're not like, dating or anything! As if! They both agree on that as they look to one another, only a tad flustered as they weakly laugh over the miscommunication.

In a matter of minutes that seem almost like seconds for those two young ladies, Lynn gets his perfect snapshot of the seasoned couple, one that everyone certainly agrees is a beautiful image for a beautiful pairing. It's enough to make Lynn's eyes start welling up, but he won't falter again! Bell no! He still has some more pictures to take of his ding dang daughters! "Alright, now let's get one of the new couple," he says, making both Carol and Luna blush shades of crimson.

Their minds and hearts race a million miles an hour with the idea of someone referring directly to them as a couple, but they don't have time to dwell on it now. They'll have all night for those kinds of thoughts. For now, they have to get with the program. So, like Lori and Bobby before them, they smile to one another before coming in close. Unlike those two though, they aren't sure how to go about it. Lori and Bobby held hands, are they supposed to hold hands? They're not a couple though. Or, at least, they don't think they are.

They don't even realize how the other four people in the room look on with developing WAFFs in their tummies, smiling at just how cute and unsure these two lovely ladies are together. Eventually, to just get things going, they compromise for some strictly platonic, friendly side hugs; but inside, they each have similar thoughts about maybe, kind of, sort of wishing they could try holding hands. Just to see how it feels…

Even so, it doesn't matter anymore as Lynn takes the picture of their bright, smiling faces, and he soon shows it off to them after it's development from the camera. "Oh, I- I promised myself I wouldn't cry again," he says before handing the picture to Rita, who then hands it over to the girls after realizing she'll need to be a shoulder to cry on again. "Oh dang it, just take it!" Lynn commands before the waterworks return.

"Here Luna," she simply, happily says to her daughter, handing off their picture. Both girls can feel the pitter pattering in their chests as they look to see just how it turned out, both nervous that it won't be well enough for their likings. However, that nervousness is soon dusted with the way their hearts are cascaded with sentimental serenity upon seeing their first prom photo.

"Aww," they both let out at the same time, and then they look to each other to share their smiles. In their eyes, they can both sense the same joy, the same comfort in being on Cloud 9. That just amplifies both their respective blisses, and it makes it impossible to avoid feeling nothing but happiness. The best part? No matter what happens, the picture will always show that, for at least a little while, they got to feel this way. Nothing else matters but the way they make each other proud to be together, gowns and all for the defining night of their young lives.

A night that has only just begun.

* * *

**The song referenced here was "I Remember You" by Skid Row. If you don't know that one… reevaluate your life choices.**

**Anyway, this is only part **_**one **_**of the two part Princess Prom extravaganza! So please stay tuned for more! And thanks as always for reading!**


	5. Day Five: Kissing

**Day Five: Kissing**

_**Princess Prom II**_

The final photograph taken by Lynn Sr was one to capture both couples together for their night of fantastical majesty. In it, all four teenagers showed nothing but excitement and joy, even if underneath the surface two of them felt pretty darn nervous.

Bobby and Lori know what to expect from one another. This isn't their first dance together, and they knew for months that they'd be coming to the prom as a couple. Yes, they might be a little anxious about things, but for the most part, they have realistic expectations.

Carol and Luna though? They aren't so sure. They know they're going to drive to the dance with Lori and Bobby, and that they'll probably have a lot of laughs on the way there talking about classmates and plans for the summer. They know they'll probably take some photos at the prom, maybe even some selfies, and they know they'll probably dance together when some boppin' songs start to play. They know all of that.

What they don't know is how they'll act when a slow dance song comes on, or what they'll say to people who ask them what they're doing there together. Heck, they don't even know how to ask each other how to feel about everything. They don't want to ruin the mood. They don't want to push things too far before they even get to the school.

But they do have some laughs on the way there, sharing stories with Lori about how the blue bell scouts used to have a swimming pool, or how Luna's first crush was Dierks Bentley of all people. They have a fun little discussion about how _Ooh Girl _is the best song of this generation, and they even talk a little about how everyone in Mr. Torres' class loved their work for a certain project that somehow brought them together tonight.

So yeah, they feel unsure about a lot of things, and they're scared about them. But something they are sure of is that, when they're together, they feel very happy.

That happiness follows them as they arrive at their high school prom, and they're met by more smiling faces of friends and peers who seem happy to see them. Carol's friends are pleasant to Luna, and her friends are cool with her date just as well. Of course, they become a little leery of the way some people seem to whisper after looking at them with suspicious glances, but no one says anything directly. And, to be honest, it kind of makes the girls feel good to be the talk of the prom.

They do all the things they thought they might do. They're sure to spend some more time with Lori and Bobby, having a few more laughs before leaving them be to do their own thing. And luckily enough, things don't get awkward when it's just the two of them together. Yeah, they do have those lingering thoughts in the backs of their minds, but they do a good job of overlooking them as they dance to _Centerfold _and _Heart of Glass, _and even sing along to _thank u next _and _Party in the USA. _

Things do get a little exciting when they decide to get an official prom photo together though. "You know, I gotta laugh a little at all of this," Luna admits as they wait in line.

"Why's that?" Carol simply asks her, wearing a sweet little grin as she looks to her bashful little rocker wearing her cute purple dress.

"I'm just not used to all this," she says, pinching the fabric of said dress. "I'm used to mosh pits and thrashing, ya know? And now here I am waiting in line to have a picture taken like these other girls and boys. I dunno. I just… I kind of feel weird."

"Do you mean that like a good weird, or a bad weird?" Carol asks, trying not to become too concerned until she hears a follow up. Thankfully though, Luna just smiles in return.

"It's definitely a good weird," she answers, and they share a little laugh at that before looking to the couple to get their picture taken next. Like an assembly line, everyone that comes through wears the same hokey smiles and poses the same cliche poses. In a way, that's what makes Luna laugh the most. But at the same time, she understands it and respects it now. She never would have done this, but that was before she met Carol Pingrey. "I'm really happy we're doing this together, C. I'm having a lot of fun," she tells her.

Hearing that makes Carol's heart jelly, and she wears it well with the smile that encroaches upon her face. "I'm happy to hear that. I'm having fun too."

Finally, they get to be next to take their official prom picture, and they take their place before the backdrop. The photographer takes their time to get everything set up, and while they do, it gives Carol and Luna both a window to decide what they want to do for their picture. Will they be like everyone else and follow the same song and dance? They even consider just being totally silly and jokingly making metal faces, sticking their tongues out and throwing up their goats for it.

But that's not what they really want. Of course it isn't. They see that when they take some time to look to each other, catching each other's gazes and getting lost in them for a little while. In each other's eyes, they can see that maybe these things they're feeling aren't so far fetched. They can see that the other girl is just as happy, they can see that, maybe it's okay if they push things a little further. Even if they aren't quite sure what they're exactly feeling, or what the other person is feeling, they can see that there's a lot of care between the two.

And while it was Carol to take initiative and ask Luna to be her date tonight, it's the younger girl to brave a step forward and invite her to lock hands for this one photo. As Luna ghosts her fingers in between hers, she can feel goosebumps coming to her arms, but they're definitely good goosebumps. She likes the way it feels to connect like this, and when she fixes her eyes back to her face, she lets her know it with another convincing smile, one that Luna returns with the very same sentimentality.

"Alright, you girls ready?" the photographer asks them, finally ready to take the picture. They don't even have to say anything in return. They just smile to the camera, and with a flash, their happiness is saved forever.

* * *

"Yo, Lunes!" a familiarly spry voice calls out to her from across the dance floor. The brunette takes a break from joking about Chinese food with her date to look and see just who it was, and she's pleasantly surprised to see Samantha Sharp making her way over to greet her.

"Hey, what's up dude?" she happily responds, meeting her best friend in the middle for a quick hug. The blonde haired, blue streaked girl wears a nice little suit with the sleeves rolled up and a blue undershirt, and Luna and Carol both nod with approval at her wardrobe choice. "I'm diggin' the suit," the former comments.

"Thanks. So hey, you two having fun tonight?" she asks with her usually chipper exuberance.

The other girls only have to glance to each other for a second before Carol replies on their behalf with, "Totally."

"I'm really happy to hear it. You guys look really awesome together," she tells them with conviction, making them blush just a little bit. She decides to change the subject before they can feel too flustered though. "So hey, I've gotta go get ready for our gig soon. Me and the Flippies are gonna be going live soon."

"Oh, awesome! I heard Chunk is here too!" Luna chirps.

"Yeah! We're having him be the drummer. My uncle Spencer was going to, but he got jossed on the way here," she explains.

"Jossed?" Carol asks.

"It's a nerd word. Don't worry about it," Luna tells her.

Carol just laughs at that. She takes a moment to consider what she wants to do next, and when she feels like she might be going along the right track, she decides to go ahead and speak her mind. "Hey, if you wanna go talk to your friend for a bit, that's cool. I kind of wanted to get some punch, anyway," she tells her.

"Oh? I mean, I don't want to leave you high and dry," Luna answers.

But Carol is sure to show her that she won't be offended. "It's fine! You're fine! Go have fun with your friends for a little bit. I'll come bother you when I get bored," she playfully insists.

Seeing that brand of confidence from her is enough to convince Luna to go ahead, so she just smiles and shrugs. "Alright, dude. I'll probably come bother you first, though," she teases. And with that, the two girls go separate ways as Luna follows Sam, and Carol goes over to the punch table.

The smile wanes from her face a little as she sucks in a deep breath, taking a moment to decompress in the midst of all this excitement. It could be time to let her mind wander to thoughts about what this night really means for her and her date, but before she has too much time to delve deeper, she finds herself being greeted by a familiar voice.

"You needed a breather too, huh?" Lori asks as she approaches her with two glasses of punch. Carol looks to her to see a signature little smile on her face, and she invites her BFF to take the second drink with a little motion of her hand.

Only weirdos and jerks say no to free punch, so of course Carol accepts it. "Thanks," she simply says, allowing a brief silence to follow before deciding to inquire on her friend's evening. "So how's things with Bobby going?"

"Pretty dang amazing," she contently answers. "He and his old he-bros needed some boy time, so I decided to take a little bit to chill out and wallflower for a few," she explains.

"Great minds think alike," Carol jokes.

Again, a little quiet follows, but Lori is a smart girl. She knows that there has to be more going on for the other girl than just wanting punch and a breather. "And how are things with Luna?"

Belatedly, she opens up, calmly collected. "They're good. Really good. I just wish I knew if she feels the same way about me that I do her," she casually admits, although she can feel her heart beat faster upon saying it out loud.

It makes Lori grin, of course. "I had my suspicions about that."

Carol nods her head as she cooly continues. "Yeah, it took me some time to decide if that's how I really feel or not, but yeah. Yeah, I think I like her."

Lori takes a moment to digest the truth. She could just focus on finishing her punch, wish the girl luck, and leave the rest of fate. But that's not her kind of song, as Luna would say. "You wanna know what I think? I think you should tell her."

"Yeah, but- I don't know. We're having such a fun time, and the last thing I wanna do is mess it up by making things weird, ya know?" Carol explains, deflating only a little.

Lori realizes with those words that reality is often disappointing, and if she wants results, she needs to make reality what she wants it to be. Apparently, only she has that power. Or at least she knows her sister and BFF well enough to know that they're both too gosh darn shy. So, she decides to put her drink down for a moment and equip the big guns. "Carol, listen to me. The fact that Luna said yes to going to the prom with you says a lot. I don't even think she'd come here for Mick Swagger unless her was gonna do a stage dive or something," she quips. But even with her playfulness, there's a lot of conviction and heart behind her claims. "I see the way she looks at you. I see the way you guys are together. I'm not a valedictorian like you are, but it doesn't take one to see that there's more going on here than two gal pals going stag."

Uh oh, Carol feels her hopes getting built up. Her bestie has always had a way of making good little speeches like these to make waves, and this is no exception. It especially helps that she's Luna's freakin' sister. If anyone would be literally the perfect liaison, it's her. "Has she… said anything to you?" she questions as that thought comes to mind, hoping to either kill those hopes now or get busy acting on them.

Lori contently sighs. "I don't want to make promises I can't keep, but I can promise you one thing, Carol. If you really want tonight to be the best night ever, I think you need to make a move."

Her hopes just became aspirations with that statement. She looks to Luna through the crowd, finding her over by the stage's stereo system sharing a laugh with Sam. She isn't sure what they're talking about, she honestly doesn't mind. What she likes seeing most is the way she looks so happy. Part her is still afraid that she may end up failing to keep things that way, but she decides now that the chances of possibly disappointing her are real now. And if there's one thing Carol Pingrey doesn't do… it's disappoint people with expectation.

Like Bardock about to take on all of Frieza's forces, she takes a deep breath, preparing herself for what may be the most life changing moment of her life. But before she can go and make the so-called first move, she wants Lori to know just how much she appreciates her. Best friend style. "You know, I knew there was a reason I keep you around," she jokes before getting mushy again. "Thanks Lori. For everything."

"Don't thank me, go thank her," Lori responds with the same energy. "Now if you excuse me, I gotta go get a selfie with Dana before she leaves. Text me later, okay?"

"Go get 'em, tiger," Carol tells her, and with that, both girls take only one last sip of their punch before walking into paralleling directions. Yes, part of what Carol feels in her chest is nervousness. How could it not be? There's the risk that this is a mistake, that with however she approaches this, she'll mess things up, make them weird, ruin a good thing. And yet, she feels more excited. She feels more like she's about to reach out and actually touch the moon than to let it slip from her fingertips. Does it add to her fear seeing Luna wave off her friends and start making her way over too? Absolutely. The anticipation of something wonderful and magical happening is more powerful though, and she feels it pulsating through her veins with every hurried step that these stupid heels make to the middle of the dance floor.

Until finally, they're face to face once again. There's a little tense silence at first, like they know they're about to touch a hot plate or step barefoot onto rocks. But they know the bad part will only last a second, they know it deep in their racing hearts. And that excites them so much that it's not just one of them to take initiative, it's both girls as they talk over each other with "Hey" and "Oh, hey. No, you go first!"

Then they just laugh.

Then, their eyes meet. In them, everything they've wanted to take comfort and solace in is there. Everything that they want to bring them the courage and motivation to make mountains out of anthills is true. And while Luna could just as easily bring it to herself to say anything to act on this rush of synergy syncing between them, it's Carol with a mission, a clear goal in mind above all other things. And it's not becoming prom queen, that could mean as much to her as a paper doll at this point. Who needs dolls when you have something so fun and beautiful right before you the way Luna is?

"I need to talk to you," she begins, getting straight to the point. Is it the best way to start? Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. She doesn't know that there is a best way at this point. All she knows is she's never going back, the past is in the past, and it's time to let it go.

Luna's irises gloss and widen, a conflicting blend of anxiety, curiosity, and eagerness coloring them. Whatever it is that's so important on this prom night, right after talking to Lori, must be pretty stinkin' important. And if she has it her way, it might also be something good. "What is it?" she asks in return, putting all the pomp and circumstance to the side.

She isn't sure what to say even now. This all happened almost too spontaneously and serendipitously, even for her liking. But here she is, under the lights of a night of stars. She's looking to her in just the most endearing way, and dang it, if anything can give her strength, it's them. And that stupid stinkin' smile she loves more than anything in the world anymore.

"Luna… What do you think of me?" she asks, feeling almost like she's dropped a fifty ton weight from her shoulders, only to add another. There's a lot of ways it could go, and in her mind, she's seen all the possible outcomes of the coming conflict. Does she win in them all? No. No she doesn't. But she is far from hopeless, because even though only one means everything changes for the better, she realizes now that is has to be the one. It _has _to be.

Luna's smile wanes, but not from pain or anguish. It comes from the raw amount of serotonin rushing through her neurons, bringing her the most relief she's felt all week. It's possible Carol heard something about Luna and that she wants to let her down easy. But the way she looks at her with almost beckoning eyes, she can feel the truth permeating the air around them. She knows she's asking because there's something more between them, just like she did when she asked her to be her date, yes, her _date _to begin with. She just wishes now that she could have known then what she does in this moment.

It doesn't matter though. Because if things are about to go the way she hopes they are, it will all be worth the dress, the earrings, and the heels.

But life has a funny way of working sometimes. Before she can say anything to break through this mutual tension they're feeling, they hear the music of the PA system come to a pause, and the sound of a microphone being pecked at coming from the stage. They don't want to break from each other's calling eyes, but it must be important. And as important as their own discussion is, it isn't something they're going to forget. Whether it's after what's to come, later tonight, or even the last thing they ever do, they'll make the answer to Carol's question a reality.

Even if they already know it now.

Until then, they shift their eyes up to the stage, where they see none other than Chester "Chunk" Monk taking the microphone and the spotlight. "Alright, lovelies. I know you're all jonesing to get back to having your fun, but it's that time of night you're all dying to have. That's right, slow dance time."

Hearing those words sends a daunting surge of adrenaline to both Carol and Luna's chests.

"So everybody with a special somebody out there, get your rear-ends over to the dance floor, and please give a warm welcome to my favorite singer in the world, Sam Sharp!"

A round of applause is given to the blonde haired rocker as she makes it up to the stage, taking the microphone for herself as she tries to stay humble. "Thanks everyone," she begins before taking a breath and getting to brass tacks. "Okay, so, before we get to announcing the prom king and queen and crushing everyone's dreams, let's make everyone in here groan over how sappy we all are," she jokes earning quite a bit of laughs. She gets serious again though, turning her attention to a certain couple in the crowd. "I wanna dedicate this song to my new favorite couple out there. They know who they are," she announces.

It's as if those words break down any wall of pretense that Carol Pingrey and Luna Loud have between them as they smile warmly at one another, feeling the same fuzzy feelings cascading their chests as they can't help but to lose each other in their favorite pairs of eyes again.

With that, Sam looks to her bandmates, nodding at them to let them know that she's ready to get the show started. Every couple in the crowd laughs as they skittishly make their way to join one another, eagerly anticipating whatever mushy love song that the Muddy Flippies will perform for their audience of hopeless romantics.

The familiar first notes of _Time After Time _are played by the band, and Luna has to laugh a little. "Of course," she says before meeting Carol's mirthful face again. Sam breaks into the first verse, doing Cyndi Lauper nothing but justice with _"Lying in my bed I hear the clock tick and think of you," _and so on. It makes the hairs of both girls' arms stand up, a static unlike anything they've ever felt before emerging between them and drawing them to join hands without a word.

For a while, they don't need to say anything. The waltzing of their feet, the music in the air, the dimly lit dance floor do all the talking for them. With mental synchronization that can have but one explanation, two hands remain clasped together, the others resting comfortably on their shoulders as they slowly spin in circles, getting lost as they look and they find each other, time after time.

Those dang brown eyes look up to Carol's baby blues, and in this mutual gaze, they can feel that formidable truth permeate the air once again. The rest of the crowd ceases to matter, the dance floor just becomes a backdrop for this photo opportunity. The only thing they can see or feel is each other.

"Wh- What were you saying before?" Luna timidly asks, some shakiness in her voice.

Belatedly, just as timidly, Carol answers, "I was saying… I should have told you how I feel sooner." She pauses for a moment to find the words she needs to say, but they call to her so clearly with slow burning seconds. "Luna, I really like you."

Finally being able to say that liberates her like nothing ever has, and hearing it does just the same for Luna as a bubbly smile comes to her lips. "I really like you too, Carol. These last few weeks… I'm the happiest I've ever been being with you."

In the most magical way, just perfectly between _"You say, 'Go slow…' I fall behind. The second hand unwinds," _and the chorus, the girls have made their hands to each other's shoulders. The smiles have faded from their faces, having been exchanged for something even more intimate as their eyes lock. They're only able to see into them for a short time though before they close them, choosing to focus instead on the chemistry that brings them to lean in close, puckering their lips and meeting to seal a very first kiss.

It doesn't last long, but in the few seconds that their lips burn together, sparks fly inside and out. The spectators lucky enough to see it all smile and "Aww," especially Lori Loud, Bobby Santiago, Chester Monk, and Sam Sharp. For them, it's been too long a time coming. For Carol and Luna though, nothing can compare to it. It's actually, literally perfect, and they can't help but smile to one another as they break their lips away to look to each other. All the feelings they've known for the weeks incoming just received their validation, and for the first time in forever, they have nothing to fear and everything to enjoy. They let it be known with a warm hug, one that seems to last for hours as the _"Time after time's" _fade off with Sam's voice.

* * *

It really is the best night ever for them. Not only do they get to finally open and up and free to express their true feelings for each other, but they get to proudly support Royal Woods High's new prom king and queen: Bobby and Lori. The Muddy Flippies are also met with nearly unanimous acclaim by their audience, and they beg for at least one more song. And being the good showman and woman they are, Chunk and Sam grant them one last hit song for everyone to dance to.

The prom doesn't last forever though. Soon enough, all of the students dismiss themselves from the event to carry on their festivities to their house parties and drives home. Lori kindly invites Carol and Luna to join her and Bobby for one last ride, and while they would accept any other time… tonight seems like a nice night for a walk.

Heels aren't so great for walking, but they don't care. They're more than happy to enjoy each other's company as they head home, cutting through the corners and street lights to go through the grass as they talk about how good it feels to finally have this night to themselves.

The heels do get tiring though. So they end up walking barefoot through the grass, holding their shoes in one hand, holding each other with the other. Things are quiet for a short while as they walk, choosing to enjoy the sound and sights of lightning bugs fluttering around them. But neither one of them were ever fans of long silences.

"So, when you asked me to the dance, you had all of this in mind?" Luna asks her new girlfriend.

She playfully hums as she thinks it over. "Of course. Everything went exactly how I planned," she fibs, earning her a little laugh.

"Is that so? Then why did you make me wait so long to say you like me?"

"I have a flair for the dramatic, if you haven't noticed," Carol quips, and Luna has to think about that for a second.

"You know, when you put it like that, I almost believe you. But only almost," she teases before they share another laugh, and then she decides to rest his weary little head on Carol's soft shoulder. These kind of embraces are something she's pined for for so long now that it almost seems like her lifetime rock n' roll dream come true. Carol thinks thoughts just as happy as she snuggles her girlfriend back, getting nice and cozy until they both have to just laugh again with how much pleasure they feel being this way. They spin in a little circle as they hold hands, totally carefree and astonished by how good life can be.

But they find each other's eyes again, and it brings back an all too familiar feeling to just stay close. However, something seems different when Carol fixes her eyes to the ground, her smile weakening a little with a new thought that comes to her. "You know, some people might think we shouldn't be together," she begins. "We're so different. It wasn't so long ago that I barely knew you."

"You kind of have a point," Luna belatedly responds, her voice conveying the same wistful tone. "But I don't care what they're going to say. You make me happy."

Carol just smiles at that. "You know, I was just thinking the same thing."

They nuzzle their foreheads and noses together, sharing this feeling of warmth that comes over the two of them. Without even realizing it, they sort of begin waltzing again, just like they did on the dance floor, nice and slow, holding each other close. It makes it easy to fall into the silence again, dancing in the dark with a symphony of fireflies orchestrating every step they take.

It stays like this for a short while before they feel those same urges as before, the passions boiling over inside them. They don't need the music of the Muddy Flippies and Cyndi Lauper, they have each other, and just that alone is all the reason to dance, to love, to kiss.

But they both know that, and being the girls they are, they decide to have some fun. "Hmm, I suppose I should give you a goodnight kiss. But I really don't feel like going home tonight," Carol tells her with a grin.

Luna just smiles right back. "So where will you go?"

"Well, I suppose I could just stay the night with my girlfriend. If she'll have me…"

"I think she'd like that, but only on one condition," Luna says, leaning in close to her so that she almost speaks in a whisper. "You've gotta kiss the girl."

Nothing more is said. Carol just lets her have another kiss, this one burning with just as much light as the bugs dancing in the night around them.


	6. Day Six: Alternate Universe

**This chapter is special for the reason that it is not only a tribute to the ship that made me ship Carol x Luna in the first place, but also a tribute to my favorite fanfic ever, Saving Victoria Chase (Again and Again and Again). It's by the lovely cinnamonsnaps over on Archive of Our Own, so give it a read if you find some time.**

**To be clear, this is basically going to be a Life is Strange Chasefield one shot with Luna and Carol assuming the roles of Max Caulfield and Victoria Chase. I think you guys can enjoy without knowing anything about Life is Strange, but either way, I highly recommend playing that game some time. It's soooo good.**

**Anyway, please enjoy!**

* * *

**Day Six: Alternate Universe/Crossover**

"_**Saving Carol Chase (Again and Again and Again)"**_

"Ugh, this is such crap!" Luna Caulfield curses out loud upon seeing her latest picture development. The moment the snapshot left her polaroid camera, she cringed with disgust. How could she possibly have thought that this would be a good idea? Why didn't she realize sooner that it would actually be the doofiest, stupidest, most self-indulging pretentious crap that she's ever imagined? If she did, then maybe she wouldn't have rigged her camera on its tripod, turned her back from it to face her wall of photographs collected over the years (all with the chiaroscuro created by her flashy orange lights that Mr. Jefferson would probably give an entire lecture on), and instead would have just taken a picture of an old lady crossing the street to the Two Whales.

Maybe there's still time to rewind time and save her film, but as she raises her hand to go back in time before the moment she pressed the button… something keeps her from seeing it through...

"Ugh!" she groans as she presses her face deep into her palms, hoping to somehow sink herself in some screwy hyperbolic time chamber where she can hide forever. Or at least until the stupid Everyday Heroes contest is over…

She lets out a sigh as she relaxes for a moment on her bench, looking all around at the amenities of her dorm room in hopes that she'll see something to bring her new inspiration. There's her trusty guitar, the one that maybe in another life she could have made her true passion instead of photography. It would be pretty cool to focus more on trying to be like Mick Swagger than Diane Arbus, but it probably wouldn't pay the bills as well. Not that she makes money doing what she loves now. But she has enough cynical thoughts. Right now, she wants positivity!

So her eyes keep wandering around the room, finding those stupid, pretentious lights. Mr. Jefferson is too cool. The last thing she wants to do is let him down with this Everyday Heroes thing. He might appreciate her turning in anything at all, let alone something she wishes she could be more proud of instead of embarrassed. Heck, she could probably just pick off one of the many photos from her wall, but he's a smart guy. He'd know she hacked her way through it. Plus, who would consider snapshots of her and her Dad holding up fish as something 'Everyday Hero'worthy?

"Oh god, I'm spiraling," she says as she falls to her back, confusing the ceiling for the sky for a moment as she looks to it for answers. That's when she realizes she's going about this all wrong. It's Saturday! Just because she doesn't have class doesn't mean she should stay cooped up in her room forcing herself to do homework! She can go _outside _to force herself to be productive!

"Yeah! Awesome!" she only somewhat sardonically calls out as she sits herself up, minding her journal and her plant Lisa as she maneuvers her way to have a look out the window. Unfortunately though, she accidentally kicks her phone from her charger, and deciding it will just be quicker to rewind a couple seconds than to take the time to go pick them both up and plug them back in, she raises her hand to do just that.

_*REWIND*_

The blur finishes, and the phone and charger are back where they should be. It makes her smile remembering that she actually has the coolest superpower ever, but alas, there's other things to worry about than her own peculiar abilities at the moment.

Outside the glass, there's the back campus of Blackwell and all of its storied glory. Boy, nothing would make the founders of this fine academy for gifted students more proud than the current display from the resident mean girls of the Vortex Club. "Yup, nothing says 2013 like an internet challenge," Luna cusses to herself with a roll of the eyes as Carol Chase and her lackey drones form a human pyramid of sorts, looking to turn their terrible master into a plank on them. They laugh all haughtily over their failed attempts to keep composure, and it just makes Luna sick to think that anyone could possibly make friends with someone like… _her…_

"How do they not see that she's just a selfish brat? She only hangs out with them because they constantly kiss her butt," she comments as… uh… she honestly forgets the other two girls' names. But yeah. The other two girls. They're such schmoozers, happily getting on their hands and knees to become actual, literal pedestals for cashmere clad Carol freakin' Chase as she prepares to lie over them. Not like she doesn't subjugate people enough. Grrrr.

Luna winces a sour glare, and actually finds herself voicing over the girls on the lot in an attempt to make light of her resentment.

"_How's this Carol? Am I miserable enough for your liking?" _she pretends the blonde one says.

"_Do you think if I bend over enough, I might be able to get the stick out of my butt?" _she imagines the brunette saying.

And then of course there's stupid Carol. God, just looking at her makes her twinge with rage. Which sucks! It's not like she wants to! But ever since the first day of class, it's like she's been out to get her! Luna had heard rumors that she considered inviting her into her prissy little Vortex Club for a little while, but after the time she corrected her about Robert Capa capturing his famous _The Falling Soldier _in 1936 rather than 1937, she's refused to give her a chance.

And that was _before _she could go back in time. Even with her newly found time traveling superpowers that she sort of forgets she has sometimes between homework and her unhealthy relationship with Carol, she can't find a way to just… make things work with her! Every time they pass in the hall, she gets a frown and literal sticking up of the nose. Every time she tries to talk to her, she's met with condescending remarks about how she's wrong about everything and is obsessed with her own selfies. Even though Carol's Facebook gallery is ninety percent selfies! Not that Luna lurks on there often or anything...

It kind of sucks though. They both like photography, Carol _does _have a sense of humor (despite being kind of awful), and, well… she must have seen something in her to consider her for the Vortex Club. Assuming that wasn't just a rumor…

Man, she wanted to look outside to escape her doubts and insecurities, not remember more of them.

She wistfully sighs as she's decided she's had enough of torturing herself. Maybe she should give her guitar some love after all to work through these complicated feelings. However, as she goes to turn away, something catches her attention from just outside the window.

Carlos the… _eccentric _maintenance man is dutifully working on applying a fresh coat of white paint to the outer walls of the women's dorm, waving his brush to and fro along his canvas without a care in the world. The squirrel loving custodian couldn't be more content enjoying the sunshiney day and the sound of laughter all around him, and perhaps it's enough to make him slightly careless in his endeavor.

"Uh oh," he utters as he feels his grip loosen just a little on the bucket of paint that he tries to pick up from his scaffolding, and unfortunately, he doesn't have much fortune in trying to save it from falling down.

It's as if _O Fortuna _plays in the soundtrack of Luna Caulfield's life as she watches the bucket of paint free fallin' it's way down the wind and sky, soon crashing to the ground below. But of course, it doesn't just fall and _not _make a mess. Oh no, something much worse happens for everyone involved.

Carol Chase takes pride in her presentation. Everything she says, every way she moves, every article of clothing she wears is all part of the dramaturgy. Her mask needs to match her script and her role, and if she doesn't put the effort into making herself the star of the show… well, who will? There's a reason she feels confident she'll be the winner of the Everyday Heroes contest. There's a reason _everyone _feels confident she'll win. And it's not just because she's a very talented photographer, it's also because she's presentable.

Take away her extravagant clothes though, and a mighty dent is put in even her strongest armor.

It's like slow motion for her, Luna, Carlos, and her two friends whose names even she sort of forgets in this moment as the paint can lands in just the perfect way so that its contents come spewing at her like a tidal wave. Even worse, her so called friends prove to not only be awful help, but also awful support as they hurriedly run away, forcing her off their backs and sending her butt flopping onto the grass below. That's going to leave _stains _on her skirt! Ugh!

But that's only the tip of the Titanic sinking iceberg. The worst of it comes head on as she soon finds herself cascaded in white paint, her sweater, her skirt, her stockings, her hair! Her beautiful, beautiful hair…

It was too tough for Luna to watch the impact, so she had to shut her eyes and look away. But she can't keep them closed forever, and soon enough, she opens them to look back to Carol Chase on the outside world she gazed upon.

Like a statue, she stands in absolute shock as paint drips from her skirt to the unforgiving ground below. Her friends watch on with disheartened grimaces, but they're only half as sympathetic compared to Carlos'. He actually gulps as he awaits what is sure to be the backlash of a woman scorned, just as the other three witnesses.

However… it doesn't quite go as any of them expect.

Because it goes much, much worse.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she shrieks with the ferocity of a banshee, her face turning red as a beat with anger. Fumes practically smoke through the paint as she grits her teeth and clenches her fists, heaving heavy, panicked breaths as she darts her dagger eyes at the maintenance man.

"Oh god, she might actually kill him," Luna thinks aloud as she instinctively raises her hand as if she's going to rewind to try and stop this from unraveling any further.

But it doesn't go quite how she expects. No, Carol doesn't charge at the man in a violent rage, she doesn't even scream again. Instead, she turns back to realize that other students happen to be making their way around the walking paths, pulling out their smartphones to take pictures of her and likely upload them on their favorite social networking apps. Maybe she would do the same if it were any of them, maybe she deserves their lack of empathy. And maybe that should just make Carol even angrier. It should probably be a _little _humorous to Luna. At least chuckle worthy.

Instead, it makes her heart sink to watch the way Carol's face transitions from a betrayed scowl into a pained frown, and while the specs of paint and shades of red on her cheeks almost make them unnoticeable, Luna's keen eyes are able to see just how her blue eyes begin to well up well before anyone else. It ceases to be a matter of if though as the blonde haired girl covers her face with her hands, hurrying inside as the tears crash around her in an attempt to escape the other students' laughter. It's bad enough that they're able to have so much fun at her expense, but she just makes herself look even stupider with the way the door handle jams on her way inside, and she has to fuss and fight with it for a few seconds while the flashing lights from cell phone cameras capture her in her moment of desperation.

It all happens so fast. By the time Carol has made it through the door, Luna is in all but a stupor trying to wrap her head around it all.

"_Okay, let's back up," _she thinks to herself. _"One minute I hate her like I always do for… being herself. And now I feel awful. Why though? It's not like this is my fault…"_

She paces around the room, superfluously picking up things and looking at them as she continues dwelling on what just happened to her class rival.

"_It was just an accident. Carlos would never do that to anyone, not even Carol. Sure, she's a butthead. She's mean to me, to Leni, to just about everyone… But she can't be evil, right? Surely if that were me, she wouldn't just point and laugh, would she?"_

She wants to believe that she really does. But even so, she can't help but find it easy to imagine herself becoming the victim of Carlos' paint attack, and while Luan or Lori or Leni might drop everything they're doing to rush to her aid, Carol might actually whip out her smartphone to take an incriminating snapshot. It makes her even sadder, somewhat less forgiving of the girl's plight.

But only somewhat… Because despite everything, she feels this burning inside compelling her to try and make things right. Maybe it's just because she likes to feel like one of those Everyday Heroes Mr. Jefferson touts about, heck, maybe she just doesn't want to hear people talking about this later instead of focusing on things like how awesome Maggie's photos can be. Part of her wants to believe that the way she blindly puts faith into the notion that Carol isn't all bad and that even she doesn't deserve to be made a fool of like that is more than blind faith, and that Carol _isn't _all bad.

Whatever it is that's creating this howling whirlwind inside of her, she's come to her decision. With great power comes great responsibility. "Or something like that," she tells herself as she readies her hand, raising it up to conjure the mysterious unnatural energy that courses through her veins and allows her to bend the moments to her every whim.

By a few seconds, at least.

_*REWIND*_

She comes to after exerting her energy, and takes a moment to fully recover before checking back out the window. The good news is that everything is as it was before. Carol is high and dry and snobby as ever as she laughs that nasally laugh of hers over probably talking smack about someone with her stupid little Carol clones.

"_Maybe I should let her get doused in paint," _Luna grumpily thinks before shaking herself of such pessimism. _"No, come on Lunes. Do the right thing here."_

The bad news is that, even with her power to manipulate minutes, she still has a limited window of time to get to the plastic primadonna before the worst case scenario can happen again. And she can only afford to rewind so much before it begins to be… too much…

The thought that a day will come where she does push herself too hard scares her stiff, but only for a second. She's able to muster the bravery she was feeling before to shake herself of those thoughts, and she braces herself to haul booty out the door of her sanctuary and into what are sure to be the tame and quiet halls of the girls' dorm on this quaint Saturday afternoon.

"Here we go," she says as she places her hand to the door, taking the first big step in her new mission to rescue Carol Chase, and she pushes it open to find just what she had expected. A nice quiet hallway.

Just kidding. It's full of just about every freakin' girl at Blackwell for some stupid, cruelly coincidental reason.

"Dang it," Luna cusses. But she doesn't allow this to fully discourage her. Nope, she puffs a big breath of air into her chest, then remains diligent as she paces her way into the hall full of familiar faces. There's Maggie Anderson, the resident emo girl of Blackwell, someone who Luna had always thought she might be able to make good friends with, but just never seemed to find the time. There are rumors she likes to occasionally talk comics with Luan, and even some more scandalous whispers about what they like to get into, but Luna's hardly had time to ask her about them with everything else going on.

Then there's Lori Watson and her roommate Dana Ward (the name oddly suits her). The latter is a pretty free spirited girl that seems to get along with everyone regardless of their clique, but she does occasionally get into some hot water when she gets flirty with Lori's beau, Bobby. They always seem to work things out though. Lori always was kind of a hothead with her passions, like her boyfriend and her position as the paper's editor, but she and Luna have had some pretty good talks. In a way, she reminds her of an older sister she never had…

But she doesn't have time to stop and chit chat with them about the Tobanga and the most recent Blackwell gossip. Not when a bucket of paint looks to ruin Carol's day, which would ruin everyone's day. So she sneaks past all of them without a scene, making her way around the bends of the corridor, only stopping to return a wave and "Hello" to Dana.

"_Good, everyone seems too busy for me right now. Kind of the way I like it, actually," _Luna thinks to herself, but only with a small amount of sadness. _"I really should make a better effort to talk to people more. And stop talking to myself so much. I wonder if Carol talks to herself this much?"_

Her momentum is gaining well on her way to her destination, but all good things must come to an end. Or at least a halt, in this case. "Oof!" she sounds as she bumps into someone carelessly making their around the bend at the same time as her, probably a jerk who only cares about what their phone screen has to offer and not Luna or anyone else's well being. Normally, she wouldn't get so aggravated, but the abrupt ripple in her flow adds to her already high stress, and she lets that get to her. "Hey, watch it, dude!" she tells the ne'er-do-well…

Who actually turns out to be her bestest friend in the whole wide world, fellow Arcadia Bay pirate Sam Price. The blue haired punk chique chick recovers from the sudden excitement herself, then meets her childhood friend with a little scowl. "Did you just call me 'dude?'"

Luna nervously grins as she rubs the back of her neck upon realizing just who she's unsettled. "Sorry, Sam. I'm just kind of in a hurry," she tries to rationalize, hoping to keep it short and sweet.

However, Sam's curiosity seems to have been piqued now, and with a raise of her brow, she questions the brunette further. "Oh, I see. In too big of a hurry to come to the junkyard with me like you said you would?" she quips with her usual brand of wit.

"Oh shoot, I totally forgot about that," Luna admits with a facepalm, feeling her cheeks redden with embarrassment.

Sam frowns. "Wow, believe it or not, that doesn't make me feel any better."

Luna extends her genuine apologies. "I'm sorry dude. It's just- there's a bit of an emergency, and I've gotta bust out my… _you know what_ powers to go fix it," she explains, and it elicits the exact reaction she was hoping for from Sam. One that shows some surprise and some understanding as she straightens herself up.

"First of all, that's the second time you've called me dude. Did you hit your head or something?" she asks, reaching for Luna and grabbing her face like she's the Catra to her Adora. Luna just shoves her off, and the other girl acts like it's nothing major as she follows up. "Second of all, are you okay? Who's in trouble? Do you need me to come with you?"

Seeing her concern, Luna eases up herself to focus on answering the questions. "Uhm, I'm pretty good. Carol's in trouble, and you're fine I think," she replies, counting them off on her finger, remembering she left one thing out. "Oh, and I don't know why I keep saying dude. I feel a little out of it today." Which is true. Life is a little strange for her today. Or is it loud? Whatever…

Of all the things Sam could take away from her reasonings though, one stands out, and it makes her raise a brow for a different reason now as she folds her arms and grins. "Carol, huh? Since when do you care what happens to her?" she asks as she playfully nudges her bicep against her friend.

Luna tenses up a little. "I mean, I don't hate her. And I don't want her to get hurt."

Sam just keeps smirking from ear to pierced ear. "Hmm, I think you just want to be her knight in shining Jane Doe," she teases as she pokes Luna's name brand T. "You always did like girls taller than you."

Realizing just what she's implying, Luna's face grows redder as her nerves grow flustered. "I- I don't really have time for this Sam! I need to hurry up and get outside before-"

Maybe she was avoiding a certain discussion, maybe she had a good point; but either way, it proves to be futile as a familiarly blood curdling scream can makes itself known from beyond the dorm's walls.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Both girls know just who's scream it was, and Luna meets Sam with a rigid frown. "Dang it," she says before she raises her right hand to make use of those aforementioned powers.

"Sorrrrrrrrrry," Sam apologizes, skittishly balling her neck into her shoulders.

_*REWIND*_

Luna recovers from the lapse, shaking her head and readying to get back on track. She knows Sam is going to come walking around, and she's obviously going to want to talk given that they have a date with Arcadia Bay's most exclusive VIP teenage wasteland. "Sorry Sam," she thinks aloud as she starts jogging her way ahead again, remembering that Carol Chase needs saved… again.

The blue haired girl comes around the bend, eyes glued to her phone until she looks up to see Luna running like Forrest Gump. Before she can even get a word out, the dorky hipster is shouting, "GOTTAGOCAROLISINTROUBLESORRYSAM!" and darting out of sight around the same bend.

Sam just looks back for a moment, then shakes her head as she goes back to whatever she was doing. "That was hella weird."

"_Okay, one distraction is no big deal. I still have plenty of time and energy to go stop this," _Luna thinks as she slows down just a little to tread carefully through the new territory. All she has to do is keep a steady pace going forward, and within a couple minutes, she'll be well and ready to take on the task that is telling Carol she probably shouldn't be planking while Carlos is painting. It will go swimmingly! Carol is so easy to talk to!

"_Why did it have to be me to get rewind powers?"_

As she's troopering along, she hears one of the dorm room's doors opening. It makes her a little nervous to think that whoever it is could become an obstacle to her progress, but hopefully it's no one important. Or at least someone who doesn't care much to talk to her, not like-

"Luna!"

"_Dang it," _she cusses to herself upon hearing that voice. She almost considers just pretending she didn't hear it, but the last thing she wants is to hurt her friend's feelings. So she sucks it up, and she turns back to find Luan Graham racing her way towards her in all of her geeky glory.

Most of the time, Luna is happy to see her. Of all the friends she's made at Blackwell, Luan is definitely her favorite. They text often about memes and movies they like, like Tenacious D, and she knows that she can count on the chipper girl to be her ear to bend if it comes to it. It has more than once already.

But she can be a little overwhelming sometimes with just _how _positive and caring she is. Especially when she has important things to do. Like right now… Still, she doesn't want to be rude, and there is the chance that Luan could _also _need help with something important. So she feigns a smile. "Hey Luan. What's up?"

The other girl makes it over to her, smiling as widely as ever. "Nothing much, just torrented- I mean… _legally downloaded _Plant of the Apes on my computer," she answers. Her confident nature seems to grow a little shakened though with how she proceeds further. "So, uhm, listen… I don't know what you've got going on, but maybe you would wanna watch it with me? I promise not to drive you _bananas! _Hahaha! Get it?!"

Luna does her best to hide how that truly makes her feel, but… It sounds awful. Yes, she likes Luan. She likes Luan a lot. But today is not the day for it, not with the Everyday Heroes contest, and the Sam, and the Carol… and well… she doesn't even like Planet of the Apes. So she puts on her best poker face as she attempts to let Luan down easy. "Uhm, listen Luan, I'd love to. But right now I'm pretty busy with other stuff."

Luan winces, clearly deflated by the lack of enthusiasm. "Oh. Well… I hope whatever you're doing is fun, at least," she tells Luna, trying to sound encouraging.

She can read the disappointment in her friend's tone though. She doesn't want to watch Apes, but she doesn't want to hurt her feelings either. "Well, I actually need to go help Carol with something," she follows with, hoping her reasoning will somewhat soften the blow.

She doesn't quite get the reaction she expected though as Luan meets her with another wince. "Carol? Like, Carol Chase? What are you helping her with?"

It makes the hairs on the back of Miss Caulfield's neck stand up, realizing she may only be making things worse. "Uhm, well, it's kind of complicated," she responds with, lacking enough confidence to really help her case.

Luan makes that evident with the way she retains an unimpressed expression. "I mean, I'm not judging. It's just kind of weird to hear you're hanging out after everything you've told me about her," she furthers. Which makes sense. Luna hasn't shared many good things about her.

"We're not really hanging out. It's more like- Well… Like I said, it's complicated," Luna repeats, feeling her cheeks redden with the sudden humiliation that comes with realizing maybe Sam was onto something with her connotations and the way she's been super mean about Carol and now wants to be her Superman.

"You know what, it's fine. Sorry if I sound patronizing or something. It's not my business," Luan says as she backs off a bit. "I think I'll just go watch this now. Have fun monkeying around with Carol," she finishes, deciding that this was pretty awkward and it's best to forget about it. The pun was funny though. "Heh heh… Get it?"

It was easily her weakest 'Get it' ever, and it makes Luna feel even crappier about how she treats her than before. She's always spending time with Sam and working on homework, but anytime Luan asks her to hang out even for a little bit, she turns away. Which isn't cool of her, and she realizes that. So as much as she really doesn't want to push herself too hard, she decides that Luan is certainly worth one more rewind.

_*REWIND*_

Dang it, she feels pretty woozy after that one. But luckily she's able to recover and get back to herself without an incident. _"Okay Lunes, Carol Chase," _she thinks as she's about to dart off again. But poop! Luan!

"_Ugh… Yes. Be a good friend to her for once. She deserves better than what I give her," _she tells herself as she reaches into her pocket for her smartphone, unlocking it to start texting as she walks her way along without a care for others' well being like she cussed about not even five minutes ago. _"I'm such a hypocrite. Luna Caulfield, Everyday Butthole," _she thinks as she starts composing a new message to Luan.

She really wants to make an effort, but the heck with Apes. Kaiju are so much cooler.

**Hey Luan, random, but maybe tomorrow after Chem we could get together and watch that Godzilla movie we were talking about? The one where he's like, "I hope you got your wish, Mark." XD**

Send. _"Good Luna." _

Not long after, she gets her response.

**Sounds wicked! We'll definitely get FIRED UP watching Godzilla together! Haha! Geddit?**

"_Yes, I get it," _Luna thinks with a smile as she takes pride in helping one more friend realize she doesn't hate them. In fact, she actually loves her! Enough to bust out one of those rewinds that are actually pretty terrifying considering she still has no idea what the consequences of her time traveling powers are, in terms of all time and space, and her own health.

She taps her pocket to make sure her emergency tissues are in there. _"Good, I'd hate to have a nose bleed in front of Carol…" _she thinks. Before she can further contemplate just why she cares so much about Carol seeing her with a nose bleed though, she's met with one last gatekeeper on her way to the platinum princess. And of all the people who could get her to stop everything she's doing, big or small… it would definitely be Leni Marsh.

Leni Marsh, the actual cinnamon roll, Mary Sue that internet dorks rage about. But Luna has only good things to say about the sweet girl, someone who has always gone out of her way to be nice and compassionate to her in and out of classrooms. Even on her worst days.

Which from the looks of her puffy eyes, today is one of her worst days. The way she sits on the ground curled up in a fetal position also shows that she probably isn't in the greatest mood, and it makes Luna's heart sink to think what could possibly be troubling the poor soul.

"Hey Leni, what's wrong?" she asks her in a comforting tone.

The blonde looks up to Luna with those pouty eyes, letting out a sniffle and a whimper before she can work through the lump in her throat to tell her the truth. "Luna, can I ask you something?" she starts.

A real Everyday Hero would never turn away from Leni Marsh, and a real friend would gladly hear her out. So Luna kneels down to her level to meet her eyes, ready to take on whatever it is that's bothering her so. "Of course, Leni. What is it?"

It takes her a bit to work through her pain to muster more words, but eventually, she's able to fight back the tears and sorrow to explain just what has her feeling so defeated and lost. "Luna, do you think I'm too sensitive?"

It isn't quite what the brunette expected to hear. Her initial thought was that maybe someone had upset her, or that maybe she had a bad grade on a test. This though… she isn't sure what to make of it. Even so, she speaks from her heart, something she doesn't worry much about when it comes to Leni.

"What?! No! Of course not!" she starts. "If you ask me, you're just the right amount of sensitive. It just shows that you really care about things, you know? It shows you have a really big heart," she explains to her, wearing a warm smile.

Honestly, she feels pretty good about the things she said. Her delivery, her choice of words… If she could pull stuff like that out of her hat for Mr. Jefferson, she'd have an A in Photography.

But judging from the way Leni's eyes dilate and she closes herself into her ball even tighter, she begins to think that maybe the other girl wasn't so moved.

"What?" Luna simply asks her.

Another sniffle from Leni, and then she lets her have it. "Are you saying I'm fat?"

Now, Luna has made it a rule to always be empathetic to others, even when it's tough. But frankly, she doesn't have time for this, and she realizes that she probably won't be able to do or say anything to make Leni feel better right now. Not by lecturing, at least. So with a sigh, she just raises her right hand, realizing that she might regret another rewind, but choosing to see it through for Leni's sake. And her own.

_*REWIND*_

That one hurt. The first thing she does when coming back to reality is checks her upper lip, making sure there's no blood. Thankfully, there isn't. Her lightheadedness only lasts for a few seconds too, making it easier to return her focus back to Leni. The girl just now seems to be noticing Luna, gazing to her with the bright green puppy dog eyes of hers, the ones that send a shiver to Luna's achy breaky heart. She knows there isn't much she can say right now to make things better, but she remembers Lori once saying something about actions speaking louder than words…

So without a word, she simply kneels back down to Leni's level, looks her in the eye, smiles, and then wraps her into a hug. For a few seconds, she just keeps her in the embrace, holding her tight to show her she's loved. And Leni even hugs her back.

After a little bit spent together like this, Luna disengages, looking Leni back in the eyes before simply telling her, "Tea later?"

With a weak, warm smile, Leni just nods her head in approval. Suffice to say, they'll definitely make time for that tea.

But it will have to be later. Because no matter what the world wants to throw at Luna Caulfield, she still has a mission. She has to go rescue Carol Chase, and well… even for a girl with all the time in the world, she's used enough to get to where she needs to be. So no more distractions. No more falling behind. With all of it out of the way, she makes her way along the final corridor of the dormitory, coming within eyes' reach of the door to the campus lot. The one where Carol Chase planks like an idiot for the sake of likes and comments, completely unaware of the fact that in just a few moments, she'll be sopping wet with white paint all over her clothes that cost well in the triple digit range.

Like the final boss of one of those dumb videogames she and Sam used to play back when they were kids, Luna feels her heart racing in her chest. The moment of truth and circumstance is coming nigh, and while she isn't entirely sure she can even be prepared to face it, she knows that doesn't really matter. What really matters is that, to her knowledge, she's the only person in Arcadia Bay with the uncanny ability to travel back in time, and with great power…

"_Yeah, yeah… Same old crap. Let's just go get this over with."_

Finally, she breaks through the threshold of Blackwell's doors, making it to the world outside. The birds and the butterflies and the bright blue sky could matter less to her right now, she'll have time to take mental pictures later. Right now, her lens has one trajectory in mind: Carol freakin' Chase. Fortunately, the leader of the Vortex Club is just as pristine as ever as she lies on her subordinates' backs, laughing the same nasally laugh she's cursed with as she tries to hold her phone up for a selfie.

Unfortunately, Luna knows what happens next, and she realizes there isn't time to waste. She can't afford to rewind and break herself. And even if she could, she doesn't have the seconds to spare to try and just talk to Carol. No, Carlos' clumsy fingers are a mere span away from dropping the dreaded paint bucket, and she isn't even sure she wants to look up and see for herself. No, instead she just tells herself that it's going to happen, and she's got to act now if she wants to save Carol Chase!

So like those Everyday Heroes Mr. Jefferson likes to lecture about, the ones that she and Sam played as in those pirate games, she decides to let her actions speak for themselves as she hurries over to the planking Carol, not even shouting her name all dramatically like she would be obligated to in a movie.

That doesn't stop Carol from reacting accordingly, though. "Luna? What the heck are you-?!"

Before she can even finish, she finds herself being picked up by Luna's skinny, twiggy arms bridal style, whisking her away from her perfect photo op. The stupid hipster! "What the heck, Caulfield?! Put me down! NOW!" she curses. Oddly enough, maybe just out of instinct, probably because she's astute enough to realize it's best for her own safety, she holds on tight to Luna by her neck though. God forbid she fall and get grass stains on her butt. Her dry cleaning bill is expensive enough as is.

As she does, she looks up to the cheeky dork. Some of her annoyance is shrunken with the way she sees the intensity in her face, like she's on a mission to save the world from her own stupid Syd Matters music. It's still weird that she showed up all of a sudden to come pick her up like this, but hey… maybe her reasoning isn't completely asinine and unreasonable. Yeah, maybe she deserves the benefit of the doubt this one time. Maybe.

Or maybe not.

Because suddenly, everything kind of sort of cool about this is ruined with the way Luna staggers, letting out a groan as she actually freaking drops her! The goon! "LUNA!"

It takes Carol a moment to fully recover from what is basically an assault, but when she does, she looks up to her attacker. Stupid, thrift store shopping, Percy Jackson reading Luna Caulfield. She could actually smack her in the doe eyed face if her Blackwell scholarship and Everyday Heroes' winning portfolio wouldn't be pissed away.

But then she sees her nosebleed.

Not only that, but everyone else: her friends whose names she actually kind of forgets right now, Carlos the weirdo janitor, and some students who happen to be walking by, all look on with shock. Carol takes the time to analyze the situation, and it's the paint bucket on the ground that tips her off first. Then her friends laughing…

"Ha! You got covered in white stuff!" one of them maturely points out.

"You're such a freak, Luna!" the other chimes in.

But Luna doesn't even hear them. Instead, she just feels some of the paint on the back of her neck, in her hair, and the warm maroon dripping from her nose. She brings her fingers to her upper lip, and realizes that, dang it, she overdid it… In front of Carol nonetheless…

She looks around to see the students in awe, Carlos wearing an expression of guilt, and then the two jerks laughing at her like children. And while this should all get to her, she can't help but care less compared to the tractor beam that is Carol's gaze. She looks to her, feeling like she probably looks very stupid right now, ready for the worst she has to offer. _"Great job, Smallfield! My butt is stained! You ruined my picture! You idiot! Baka! Why don't you go flip your self-ie!"_

But none of that happens. Instead, Carol just keeps looking at her until she finally makes a move to stand herself, all while meeting her eyes. Soon enough, she motions her hands towards her, offering one to rest on her shoulder, and the other to take her by her hand and help her to her feet.

Gross, her hand has a little blood on it, and her shoulder has quite a bit of paint. Carol looks to the nasty fluids on her own hands now for a moment, feeling the usual disgust and feeling to burn her clothing that she does just being touched by even normal people. But those feelings don't take long to leave her as she looks to Luna again.

Maybe it's just because she realizes she just saved her from being the one to get humiliated in front of everyone, or maybe she just feels sorry for her with her bloody nose and paint covered clothes making her look even doofier than usual. But something in her glossy brown eyes makes Carol feel sad for her.

Only until the sound of those idiots' laughing at her burrows its way into her mind and chest, summoning a brand of rage that only queen bees like Carol Chase can express.

"What are you two dolts laughing at?" she starts, glaring at them with scorn that could possibly singe the hairs standing up on their arms if she tried hard enough. "Are you just going to stand there?! Go get me some freaking towels! NOW!"

Like Darth Vader or Thanos, her voice imposes the greatest fear upon the two minions. Without another word or an attempt at desperate apologies, they just run like heck into Blackwell, the doorknob kind of getting stuck on them (because of course it would), and disappear to go and heed their master's instructions.

She takes a deep breath, then looks to the other students and Carlos. Part of her loves the way that she's become the center of attention, it's just her most natural state. But right now, she wants to be left alone with Luna Caulfield. Something she never, ever thought she'd think. "What are you all doing? Take pictures or go!"

Realizing she means business and has the clout to act on her threats, everyone else gets to moving along, only one of them being ignorant enough to actually pull out their phone in an attempt to take a picture. "JAMES I SWEAR TO DOG I WILL PUNCH YOU IN THE FACE!" she cusses at the little weirdo, and he puts his phone away to run with his tail between his legs back to where he came from.

It's all happening too fast for Luna's liking, and between her brain working through all the rewinds and craziness of the moment, she finds herself in a bit of a nebulous. The one thing that remains constant in her cognizance is Carol; the sound of her voice, the smell of her expensive perfume, the knowledge that she was to be saved today. Those thoughts follow her as she feels a soft hand taking her by her arm, guiding her along as she fights through the haze to keep her mind in this mortal coil.

Eventually though, she's able to fully convalesce, making her way back into the actual present. It starts when she realizes she's sitting on a cozy bed in the middle of a room with all sorts of cool gadgets and frou frou pictures surrounding her, free of blood on her nose and the paint covered jacket that was on her back. She takes it all in, soon realizing just where she is when the familiarly imposing presence hovering over her catches her eye.

"Okay Smallfield, we're going to play a little game," Carol tells her, seriousness in her face and folded arms. "It's called tell the truth. And if you don't, I swear I'm going to- I'm going to… I don't know! But whatever it is, it will be very bad! Seriously!"

While Luna's more aware of herself now, her return to status quo isn't made any easier with Carol's insipid rambling. "I won't lie Victoria, I'm a little hazy right now," she tells her, letting a vaguely familiar name slip from her tongue.

"Vic-? Never mind, I don't care," Carol trails off before getting back to brass tacks. "Let me tell you what I do care about. You've been acting so weird these last few weeks. Like, weirder than usual."

"Gee, you really know how to make a girl feel special," Luna tells her with a snarl.

Carol frowns right back. "Hey, most people wouldn't have gotten your nasty blood and paint on them just to get you into their bed." Both girls grow wide eyed at that statement. "Okay, that didn't come out right," she backtracks.

Luna decides to take advantage of her momentary slip up to gain some much needed context. "So, why did you bring me to your room?" she asks, rubbing her cranium as she works out the last small ache in her head.

Her question doesn't amuse Carol at all though. "See! This is exactly what I'm talking about! Just a few minutes ago, I asked you if you wanted to try on some clothes that make you look less like a vegan, and you said 'sure!'"

"Uhm, sure. I remember," Luna lies. Because they truth is, the last ten minutes or so are nothing but a blur. But that's the price that comes with her screwy time traveling powers. Even so, going back to the past doesn't stop the present from happening, and she needs to keep that in mind now that she finally has some one on one time with Carol Chase. "But, remind me… Why do you care what I wear?"

It's not an easy question to ask. This morning, Luna remembers clearly being angry at Carol just for existing in the same school as her. And yet she was hell bent on going out of her way, despite homework and plans with people who are always nice to her (except when Sam is grouchy). As much as she would have liked to have gone the rest of the day ignoring her to focus on her entry for the Everyday Heroes contest, she also feels okay finally having some sort of confrontation with this blonde haired, blue eyed, Ariana Grande loving (the poster on the wall makes that evident) brown-nose.

It's also not an easy question to answer either. "Why do you care if I get covered in paint?! _How _did you know I would get covered in paint?!" Carol retorts, falling to contain her excitement.

It freaks Luna out a little inside to think that somehow, someway Carol might know her deepest, most intimate secret. But she tells herself it can't be possible for the sake of her own sanity and keeping this conversation on a decent track. She's just paranoid, which considering everything else she knows about Carol, isn't too far fetched of an idea. But like everything else about this conversation, it doesn't make it any easier to formulate a good response. Especially considering she isn't a very good liar.

"I just- saw you outside my window. I just had a feeling something would go wrong," Luna fibs as she nervously fidgets her hands together, trying to look to Carol's eyes to prove she's not lying, even though she totally is.

"Likely story you twee bum," Carol barks, her usual temperamental tsundere self. But unlike her usual self, her furrowed brow ebbs in favor of something apologetic as she looks to the ground for a moment. "It's not just that, though. I've noticed you… noticing things."

Part of Luna wants to just jump to conclusions and tell this girl to just admit that she wants to say sorry, and that she actually makes time to pay attention to people besides her cronies and her teacher crush. But… even if this wasn't Carol making an effort to be civil, even if this were anyone else, it's just not in Luna's heart to get angry. She'd rather be diplomatic for the sake of actually getting somewhere. Her rewind powers have taught her all about that.

"So, you've noticed _me?" _she decides to follow up with, hoping to sound more curious than accusing.

Carol's eyes grow as wide as saucers as she hears those words, tensing up almost like she's taking a polygraph exam. "No! Just- Okay, the paint thing. You showed up at like, the perfect time. It can't be coincidence," she claims. "But it's not just that! In class, you always know what I'm going to say before I say it! When I have the answer to one of Mark- I mean, Mr. Jefferson's questions… When I'm going to say something about your selfies, it's like you always know what I'm thinking!"

Dang, Carol's actually been paying a lot more attention than Luna thought. It stuns her enough to keep her from saying anything just yet, mostly because she's knows there's more to come. But also, it's weird. She's never seen her like this. Honest, vulnerable, no phone screen or Vortex Club to mask her.

Carol Chase _isn't _so bad.

She also isn't done. Like in Photography class, she's very tactful, and she sure likes to draw out her points until she's covered everything. Sometimes it annoyed Luna. Right now, it interests her. "The way I see it, and I won't lie, I've put some thought into this, don't patronize me- is that one of two things is going on. One, you've been seriously paying a lot of attention to me like some sort of stalker. Which I won't blame you if you do…"

Pretentious and paranoid. Yup, this is Carol Chase. But she's unable to suspend her disbelief with the next claim the self proclaimed voice of Blackwell makes.

"Or two… You're a mind reader."

"You… hear yourself, right?" Luna asks, refusing to sit here and pretend that her statement isn't as ridiculous as it sounds. And that's coming from the girl who can go back in time…

But she realizes Carol isn't as crazy as she sounds soon enough. "Yes, hard to believe that the idea of you being a mind reader is just as crazy as you not hating me, right?"

Now it's Luna's turn to widen her eyes. She can feel her heart start to pound a little harder in her chest upon hearing those words, realizing that Carol's vulnerability isn't a fluke. She's serious about feeling these things, she's serious about making an effort to talk about them. There's a new science of understanding, and knowing that for certain now, Luna won't slip up. She'll meet her in the middle to try and make this work.

And hopefully it won't lead to shouting or nosebleeds like most of her conversations like these tend to do.

"Passive aggressive much?" She quips, only letting the air of her sarcasm linger in the air for a moment before making the first step into that middle ground she hopes to cover. "You do realize I don't hate you though, don't you?"

Carol keeps her eyes to the floor for a moment before looking back to Luna, showing a seldom seen somberness in her eyes. "Well, real talk, you kind of act like you do."

"Can you blame me?" she asks, thinking back to the times where she felt attacked by those very same eyes, that very same voice.

And speaking of feeling like being attacked… "What's that supposed to mean?!" Carol snaps.

Now, Luna isn't a fan of conflict. She never liked arguing or getting in the middle of heated debates. But that was before she got her powers. And while she still would rather keep the peace, she's learned to embrace the fact that sometimes, you've got to get heated. So she actually stands up from Carol's bed to get to her level, keeping firm and assertive as she stands up for herself. Literally, as Lori would say. "Ever since my first day at Blackwell you've given me the cold shoulder. And I've literally never done anything to you to deserve it." Curt, to the point. No need for name calling or sugar coating, just facts.

It takes the older girl by surprise, but she won't be too shaken. She's been through enough speech and debate meetings to tango with the best of them, and her last name is Chase, after all. "I don't- Okay, I have a reputation to uphold. And I'm a busy person. I'm sorry if that's translated to me being a little snippy with you sometimes."

Luna furrows her brow, unimpressed with her response. "It's not just me either. You're a jerk to Leni, Luan, Maggie, everyone except your little Vortex Club drones," she states with reluctant conviction.

"Reputation!" Carol repeats, believing that one word to be an explanation enough for her actions.

Luna doesn't buy it though. In fact, she begins to see that it's just an excuse. "Don't you think people would like you more if you'd be nice to everyone?" she counters, and she starts to see the cracks forming.

"That's not how it works, and you know it," Carol defends. "Look, my parents own a big time art gallery. I've been around big wigs and suits long enough to know that… cliques serve a purpose. They really do," she argues, unhappy herself with the way it sounds.

Seeing that, Luna decides now's the time to capitalize on the very thing that she knows makes Carol so vulnerable. "Look, I could argue this all day. I really could. But honestly, I think you're just making excuses to be mean to people because… I don't know. You're insecure or something."

Carol's jaw drops. It's a blow she didn't expect to take, and it's one that leaves her speechless in a way she hasn't been in… forever. She's been lectured before. She's been proven wrong, even. But taking this from a Jane Doe wearing, polaroid owning, diary writing _girl _like Luna Caulfield? "Luna…" she begins, her eyes glossing with what has to be fury.

Or maybe not.

"You're right."

For the second time today, Luna is baffled by Carol's words. She has to blink a few times to be sure what she sees is legitimate, but yes. Carol Chase is admitting that Luna is right about her being insecure. It isn't something she takes pride in necessarily (at least not enough to brag about it), but it stuns her all the same.

"You're right. I have nothing for that. I don't like that Mr. Jefferson always notices you. I don't like that Lori's stupid articles about school lunches get more likes than my pictures. I don't… I don't like how everyone always seems to get noticed, except for me." Her head hangs low with hat confession, and she isn't even able to look at Luna now as the floor offers more comfort once again. Oddly enough though, she's able to make light of it with a little smile and laugh. "Heh, I guess you really are a mind reader."

There probably should have been yelling. Or threats. Or at the very least some digs at Luna's Converse. But not this time. Even though Luna has said the least, like she always does, she somehow has managed to say the most. Enough to reel Carol like this. "Wowzer," is all she can think to say, losing herself in the comfort of looking at anything but Carol just the same as she does for her.

But of course, Miss Chase doesn't let the opportunity to make an impression pass her by. "I pour my heart out and you give me that hipster crap? This is why we can't be friends," she only somewhat jokingly says. Because as much as likes to make light of the fact, it's still true in a way that hurts a little. Not just for her, either.

It hurts for Luna too, yeah. But not in a way that feels like she has to accept defeat. No, instead, it saddens her to think that, despite everything that kept them from having this conversation for so long, Carol doesn't think they can make a connection.

Hearing it makes Luna realize… she's pretty insecure herself.

"I don't know. I think we could be friends. I mean, we both love photography more than anyone at Blackwell, we're both kind of weird and pretentious…" she thinks aloud, letting her heart do the talking for her.

It amuses Carol the way she says it, and she has to smile again. "We're both brutally honest."

"That too," Luna says, also smiling a little. It's weird for them to be making each other smile, but they don't dislike it. In fact, it's a much better thing to dwell on than all of the spite they've harbored all semester. "I won't lie, Carol. You make me mad a lot. Part of that is because, I don't know, I don't get you. But at the same time, I'd like to. I wish I knew more about you. I wish you'd just give me a chance before deciding I'm not worth your time."

The pretense is gone and out of the way for once, and they both know that now. Here in Carol's room, the Vortex doesn't matter, Luan and Leni don't matter, even their scholarships are just part of their portfolios. For the first time today, the conversation seems like it can only get easier.

So much so, that Carol actually decides to take a seat on the bed where Luna had sat down before. Right beside her. She's skittish with how she looks back to the other girl, unable to lock her eyes for too long before having to look away, but she trusts her enough to try and make a connection now. She wants to be closer, inside and out.

And honestly? Luna wants to too. So, trusting that Carol won't bite her head off or turn heel, she takes a deep breath, and joins her back on the bed. Not too close to make things uncomfortable, but close enough to show she's serious about compromising.

Carol takes a moment to acknowledge and respect this, thinking of the things she wants to say. After showing so much weakness already, she isn't sure anything else she can really say will make her seem anymore spazzy or ridiculous. But… she doesn't care much anymore. Something about this talk with Luna makes all of that stuff from before seem so petulant. If anything, she just wants to get the rest of it out of her system. For both their sakes. "I'm sorry, Luna. I mean it. I'm truly sorry. Look, I don't know if it's too late to try and make things right, but I will tell you that I've thought about you a lot, too. I think you're really cool, actually. I wish I didn't care what people think of me the way you do. I wish I knew how to just tell you I think you're really talented without feeling like a total spaz."

She stops for a moment to catch her breath, to be absolutely sure she wants to say anything more. But Luna doesn't judge her. No, she just listens attentively as she looks to her with those stupid brown eyes of hers, the same ones that always did have a bit of comforting glow to them. Keeping that in mind helps her to have faith in herself, and she decides to try and put a firm nail in this coffin to bury the hatchet once and for all.

"Honestly, when I think of you, and how nice you've been to everyone, even when you don't have to be, like me just a little bit ago… I wish I could be your friend."

Of all the people to express their approval of Luna since coming to Blackwell, Mr. Jefferson, Principal Wells, all of them… none have made her smile the way she does now.

"I'm glad we're talking about this, Carol. It feels right," she simply says, wishing she didn't feel so spazzy about being so happy.

Luckily though, Carol doesn't tease her for that. No, she just smiles back, letting herself enjoy this warm feeling too. "It kind of does."

For a short while, calm quiet lingers in the air around them as they solely digest everything that's been shared between them these last few minutes. The smiles encroached upon their faces fail to fade away, despite the fact that they have a hard time looking to one another. For Carol, it's okay to just look to some of the top dollar clothes she has neatly organized on a chair beside her dresser, and for Luna, a single photograph that's been set on the edge of her desk.

Her curiosity and newfound security in Carol's company getting the better of her, she picks up the photograph, being careful not to smear it with her grubby fingers, so that she can look and see just what's so special about it. The photograph depicts a man and a child wearing Cystic Fibrosis awareness T-Shirts walking hand and hand with a naturally vibrant chiaroscuro to the snapshot. It's not only beautiful for the wholesome image it captures, but also for just how skilled the shot is. It doesn't take rewind powers or snooping to decipher that this has to be her entry for the Everyday Heroes contest.

"Dang," is all she can think to say, her heart sieged by its touch. Carol hears her say this, and while part of her would like to just swipe the photo out of her adorkable little hands, she doesn't. Instead, she just thinks to herself if it's okay to ask what she sort of wants to ask…

"What do you think?" she coyly does.

Luna has to blink a few times, almost like she's surprised the other girl even has to ask. Not only because she's Carol Chase, the girl who always displays so much confidence, but also because, it shouldn't even have to be a question. "This is really amazing. Seriously," she tells her with conviction. "The lighting, the message… If Jefferson doesn't pick this, he's riding on a crazy train."

Carol feels her cheeks pinken a little with Luna's approval. "Thanks," she simply says, rubbing the back of her neck before sharply taking a breath. "So what about you? Have you taken a picture yet?"

Things were going so well! Why, of all the times Carol has to try and be nice, does she have to ask about her stupid Everyday Heroes picture? It's lame, it's self indulgent, it's… it's crap! But how does she say that? How does she admit to this girl, someone she realizes she wishes she could just impress for being herself, that her picture isn't to her own liking?

She doesn't. Instead, she lies. Something she's unfortunately had more practice in since discovering her powers. "Uhm… Well, the thing is... I don't have a picture."

Carol meets her with a raise of the brow. Uh oh, she's onto her. Luna just hopes that her face isn't as clammy and incriminating as it feels like it is as she tries to just keep straight laced and quiet. "Really? You haven't?"

She _really _wants to make some excuses about how her camera gets jammed sometimes, or how she hasn't had time between other classes and spending time with Sam. But she knows Carol knows better. If she's paid attention to her in class, then she knows it's the only one she really cares about beyond maintaining a GPA. There's no snowing her this time. So she concedes, telling the truth before it's too late and she makes herself look even more stupid. "Okay, I have one. But it's super pretentious and dorky. There's no way I can turn it in, everyone will hate it," she bemoans.

Carol thinks it over, an almost nervous expression coming to her face. "Well, Mr. Jefferson likes pretentious, and he likes dorky apparently. He wouldn't pick on you so much if he didn't," she jokes before getting serious again. "Look, you were nice enough to tell me I have some talent, so I'll be honest too and admit that you take some great photos. You take more selfies than any normal human being should, but whatever. If you got it, flaunt it, I suppose," she adds. "And I like some of your selfies," she finishes, feeling herself blush.

That makes Luna blush a little too, and she isn't able to think of a halfway decent response in time. So Carol just keeps going as she stands herself up from the bed. "Come on," she simply says, looking at Luna almost likes she's the one who's foolish for not understanding the memo.

She doesn't get defensive, she just stands up too as she repeats, "Come on?"

"Yeah, you're gonna go show me your picture," she bluntly says, wearing her usual brand of bravado. It catches Luna by surprise, and she again has to blink a few times before being able to work out some actual words.

"We're- We're gonna what?"

Almost impatiently, Carol glares at her crossly. "Look, you said you wanted to bond over photography, so we're gonna go do that. We're gonna take some notes, see what we can learn from each other, have a fun time. It will be a nice little date," she tells her before donning the look of someone so horrified that they might actually die of embarrassment. "I mean- Not a date! Obviously not a date!" she corrects herself, trying and failing to not look so flustered. Luna doesn't say anything for a bit, instead choosing to just scrutinize her with a confused look as she tries to understand just what's going on. Which works in Carol's favor (it doesn't) as she buys more time to explain herself and what she meant. "I meant like, like a friend thing! You want to be friends, I want to be friends, it's strictly platonic! We're just… It's not a date!"

A lot of thoughts race through Luna's mind, but for the most part, the only thing that really matters is how they make her smile. "Okay, so it's not a date. Got it," she states, just happy to have those thoughts to herself, thoughts that she might be able to gauge Carol on more later with their 'not-date.'

Seeing they way she grins, Carol frowns, folding her arms all proud like. "Good. I'm glad we're at an understanding."

With that, she makes her way to the door, reaching for the handle to open it up for her and her companion so that they can go across the hall to Luna's room and talk shop in a way that is strictly platonic. It's business first and foremost, of course it is! And while that's okay with the other girl, she can't help but keep smiling at the thought that this might be the beginning of a very beautiful friendship between her and Carol Chase.

It stops her from going all the way out the door, it makes her just look to the Blackwell beauty queen with an almost inquisitive look in her eyes as those thoughts keep flooding her mind. Carol realizes the way she's doing all of this, and stops to look at her too, failing to show the same brand of enthusiasm. "What?" she sharply asks.

Dang, Carol is quite the enigma. But Luna's learning to like that about her. "Nothing," she simply says, still smiling.

Carol glowers at her for just a moment longer though, studying her intently before deciding to move along. "You're so strange, Luna."

With that, Carol walks ahead, making her way through the door as Luna just shakes her head. "Yeah, I've heard that a few times," she simply comments, deciding it's gonna be okay to follow her further along. The idea of taking notes together, sharing their passion for photography, it makes her happy. Just like the idea that maybe they can actually be friends, or that they can finally put everything that drove a wedge between them far behind them. Heck, maybe they can even learn a thing or two from each other. Maybe Carol likes some Mick Swagger.

All of these thoughts fluttering like butterflies in her head make it impossible not to be happy, but one manages to stand out from the rest, the one that makes the smile on her face feel more than justified. It's a thought that just so happened to sneak it's way into her mind, because she can't shake the fact that no matter what, she has these powers. And while those powers helped her save Carol Chase, one thing is also very true.

During their talk, she didn't need to rewind once.


	7. Day Seven: Family

**Day Seven: With Family**

_**Sweet Child O' Mine**_

The clock reads 3:52 in the living room of a quaint, quiet suburban home. The only sound audible is the sound of the seconds ticking away, at least until the front door of the house opens.

"Ah man… What a day…" 35 year old Luna Loud-Pingrey thinks aloud as she makes her way through, working out a kink in her neck as she goes to set her purse and her keys on the counter. Her cat Goose is fast asleep on the nearest barstool, and while there's a very real urge to pet him, she decides to leave him be. 'If you love a flower, let it grow,' she remembers hearing from somewhere.

Besides… she has more important things on her mind after her long day. Things that prove that while some things change with so much time, some things stay all too the same. Things like kicking off her slides, grabbing her baby blue Ibanez by its neck, and then kicking back and relaxing on her couch while placing said guitar on her lap. Gosh, it would be so easy to just fall asleep instead of doing anything, but she's just got this jam stuck in her head, and she's just gotta get it out of her system. So while she waits for things to get exciting again in her little house, she ravels and unravels her fingers again and again until she's ready to grab her favorite blue pick, place her fingers in the shape of a D chord, and then-

"BOO!"

"AHH!"

The sudden sneak attack scares the Bee Gees out of her, nearly making her fall on her butt and drop her guitar. But the brief feeling of fear is quickly subjugated by annoyance when she sees a certain blonde haired lady cackling with schadenfreude from behind the couch. "Ahahah! Whew! That was too funny!" Mrs. Carol Pingrey-Loud laughs, resting her hand and arms over the back of the couch as she anticipates whatever salty reaction her wife will have for her.

At first, she frowns. But with a roll of the eyes, she lets that frown turn upside down as she laughs just a little bit too. "You really got me, girl. You really got me," she simply says before chilling out on the sofa, realizing her song will have to wait just a while longer. Which is fine, she's got another perfectly fine carol to think about. "You're home early."

"It was a slow day at the office, so I decided to cut hours," Carol simply says.

"Can you do that?" Luna incredulously asks.

She shrugs, then makes her way from behind the couch to join her lover. "Eh, store manager perks. I'll stay over on Thursday."

Luna kindly makes room for her, letting her have the seat over before deciding to use her lap as a cushion for her tired feet. "You're a bad influence on the sales associates of Bold Navy," she teases, too comfortable and at ease to get too much more excitable.

Carol just laughs, resting a hand on Luna's leg, deciding to cutesily rub her thumb over the denim of her jeans. "A good bad influence," she jokes further, looking into her favorite pair of brown eyes ever. Even after so many years of making music together, the same song plays in them. An epic power ballad that for better or worse seals their fate together with enough passion to burn even the rings on their fingers. It only gets easier every passing day, month, and year to trust in her, to know their love is so real. It also helps that they have jobs and don't get boring very often.

Or, well, they're a good kind of boring. The kind where they're complacent. And like any old boring couple, they're sure to let each other know they care by doing something as simple as actually communicating.

"So, how was the office, Mrs. L?" Carol keenly asks her wife, sensing her exhaustion, expecting a groan or a sigh at least, readying for a way to swoop in and save her like a tiny dancer in her hand.

Luna _groan sighs _as she stretches herself like a starfish. "Ohhhh it was long. So long," she begins. "But it was really good though. The kids from seventh period actually didn't seem bored with my lesson today," she explains.

"Oh wow," Carol responds with a happy little nod. "How'd you pull that off?"

"They all finally decided they really care about appreciating music history," she answers. "And we talked about Frozen. That made for some fun discussion."

"It's nice to see they let it go," Carol jokes, earning her a smile with both her witty humor and her contagious, loving grin. She loves seeing her wife so happy, and… well, _she _loves seeing _her _wife so happy too. No worries, no issues, just all scales in their life as a family in balance. "Times like these call for celebration," Carol starts again. "I say we go get ice cream."

"Huah! Seriously?!" Luna playfully gasps.

"Mhm. And if you're lucky enough, I'll let you get sprinkles," Carol flirts.

Luna laughs, and pretends to think it over as she leans back on the couch again, deciding to get even cozier. "Eh, ice cream's okay. A foot massage would be better though," she teases, twitching her tootsies on Carol's lap.

The older woman just rolls her eyes and shakes her head before gently shoving those feet away. "Come on, it's family night," she furthers as she stands up. Luna's body isn't so spry though, and she finds herself laying on the couch for just a little longer as she lets out another little groan sigh.

"Eh heh… I'm tired."

"Boo hoo. Now come on. Get your crocs and we'll go embarrass little man by making him be seen in public with you and those ugly things," her wife tells her.

Luna perks up upon hearing that, realizing something isn't quite right. "Hey, he should be home by now," she thinks aloud.

Before either of them can give it too much more thought or become any sort of excited, the sound of a door creaking upstairs catches their earshot. They simply glance at one another for a moment, then come to the same conclusion before making their way up to check it out.

In an Ace Savvy themed bedroom with the only sources of light coming from what sunlight bleeds through the window blinds and a reading lamp on his desk, a little sandy haired boy doodles away on a piece of drawing paper. Today, he draws well known superhero Bazinga saving his girlfriend Jane Sutherland from a great fall, swooping in and catching her with his big strong arms. The drawing looks pretty great too, at least he thinks so. The lines are straight, the hands aren't too big, and for an eight year old boy, he feels like he's doing a really good job.

The only blemish on his otherwise splendid work of art is a damp little crinkle in the center of the canvas, where he couldn't stop a single tear from falling down.

His focus is disturbed by the sound of a faint knocking on his door, and he only sort of turns his head around before going back to his work as his parents peek in through a creaking door.

"Collin?" Luna calls, but her only son offers silence in return. The two mothers exchange a look of concern, then pussyfoot their way in further. "When did you get home?"

"I didn't even hear you sneak in," Carol adds.

The boy remains quiet though, choosing to ignore the adults to worry more about his drawing, and hoping they'll just leave him alone before they can realize that-

"Are you crying?" Carol deduces, hearing his faint sniffles. Unsurprisingly, Collin keeps trying to hide himself in his work, but it doesn't stop his parents from becoming very concerned.

"Hey… What's wrong?" Luna inquires, making her way over to the bed beside his desk to get closer to him, close enough to see the freckles of his face and the blues of his eyes, even with the dim lighting. She shares another fretful look with her wife, then decides to try and pry just a little more in Hope's she can help the other person she loves most. "Hey, buddy. You can tell me. Did something happen?" she assures him as she rests a loving hand on his shoulder.

At first, he tries to simply ignore her. But it becomes too difficult to keep these crummy feelings to himself, and he finally speaks up with a whimper. "Some kids at school were being mean to me."

Hearing that brings heartbreaking pain to both women. They wear it well in their eyes, frowning sorrowfully as they look to their son.

"Kids at- What were they doing?" Luna furthers.

"They were teasing me," Collin sniffles. His mother gives him a moment to elaborate, but he doesn't. He doesn't even look at her either, instead looking down to his drawing and focusing on wiping away his tears before they can fall on the paper.

Luna wants to be careful not to say too much, but she knows she has to push her son a little if she can do anything to help him. And Carol feels a similar apprehension as she chooses to stay silent, letting her wife hold the reigns going forward.

"What did they say to you?" the brunette asks now, deciding to move her hand from his shoulder to ghost her fingers through his sandy blonde hair. Her touch reminds him of a warm safe place, but there's still thunder and rain around him. He still feels like crying, and he still can't stop thinking of how his day got ruined.

"They were making fun of me for being girly," he bluntly answers, still averting her eyes.

"They were making fun of you for being girly?" Luna asks with some surprise. Neither her nor Carol were quite sure what to expect from him, but being called girly wasn't something they had actually considered. He wears Ace Savvy T-Shirts. He loves drawing superheroes. His favorite toys are all action figures and weapons. "Well, I don't think you're girly. You're like, the coolest boy I know. Isn't that right, Mom?" Luna says.

Carol nods. "Definitely. You're cooler than Uncle Linc. And you're way cooler than Grandpa Lynn," she jokes, hoping to lighten the mood a little. It makes Luna smile a bit, but Collin doesn't falter. No, he continues hanging his head lowly, all his confidence eluding him. It brings them right back to their remorseful selves, and not even the feeling of his soft hair in her hand can make Luna feel more comfort.

"Honey?"

"They said I have too many girl friends," the boy explains. Like a shot in the dark, it catches them by some surprise again. Truth be told, Collin didn't talk much about other boys. He often just told his mothers about 'his friends,' often leaving out names, rarely going into major details. He was rather shy, and they knew that. They didn't want to push him too hard to make him uncomfortable talking about his days at school. They trusted him enough to know that he could tell them if something was wrong.

None of that makes this any easier for either woman, though. They meet each other's eyes again, matching the same feelings of disappointment and sorrow. They know they'll have to do more about this later, for themselves and for their son, but for now, they can agree on one thing without even using words. They want their son to be happy.

"Well, they're probably jealous of how much of a ladies' man you are. I know your Mom went through the same thing when we were kids," Luna jokes, but it doesn't make the boy budge. It actually makes Carol wince with some discomfort, and Luna sighs knowing she should probably take a different approach. "What do you think? Do you think you have too many girl friends?"

"No," the boy belatedly, quietly answers.

"Well, that's all that matters, isn't it? You aren't doing anything wrong," Luna's sure to affirm, resting her hand on his shoulder again, rubbing it softly to let him know that she's here for him, here to make him feel loved and understood.

He doesn't cry anymore, but he still sniffles from before. He wipes his runny nose with his finger, then decides to keep feeding his mothers more information about what happened. "They also said I'm weird. They said I'm lame for not playing video games."

Carol has to hide a scoff, actually feeling herself get a little ticked off that kids would pick on her son for that of all things. And while Luna isn't impressed either, she's able to snuff that too as she asks him, "Do you want some video games to play?"

"No. I don't like video games. I like drawing more," he truthfully answers.

Satisfied with his answer, Luna simply tells him, "Well, okay. You can keep drawing then. There's nothing wrong with that at all."

Unfortunately, she finds herself at an impasse. Collin doesn't say anything else about it, and he doesn't look to her. He just fixes his eyes on the drawing on his desk, sniffling through his runny nose, still feeling just as crummy as before. It makes Luna deflate like a black balloon inside, not only feeling dejected over her son's pain, but also feeling defeated for not being able to find the right things to say to him.

That's when her wife decides to tag in. She places her own hand on Luna's shoulder, and meets her with a nod to let her know that she's okay to step aside. She did her best, but she doesn't have to do this alone.

Luna decides it's best to accept that, and with a heavy sigh, she stands up from the bed to let Carol take her spot. She can watch from the sidelines now as her partner picks up the pieces, and deep down, all she really wants is for her to succeed somehow. To find the right things to make their pride and joy feel better.

Carol quietly thinks to herself how to begin, and once she's carefully contemplated how she wants to approach this, she finally speaks her mind. "So, I heard all of that," she starts, hoping to come off cool and collected like she would with a friend or a co-worker. Yes, she loves this boy enough to sacrifice anything for, but she doesn't want him to feel patronized. She wants him to feel like he can trust her. "Uhm, can I- can I tell you something?"

He sniffles once again. "What?"

Nervousness comes over Carol over what she knows she wants to say, but she's convinced it could help. So despite her heart's racing, she sees it through. "Well… I never really got picked on as a kid. Actually… I picked on other kids."

She notices the way her son perks up a bit in his chair, she feels the way Luna looks upon her with surprised, maybe even shocked eyes. They must be wondering why she would say this of all things, but she hopes that she can make it work. She isn't sure what she'll do if it doesn't, actually...

"I'm not proud of it. I wish I hadn't of done it. But I did. I was a jerk," she regretfully admits. "You wanna know why I'm telling you this?"

For a moment, he does nothing. But with the slow burning seconds, he finally shifts his eyes from his drawing to his mother. In his baby blues, there's so much hurt. Pain Carol's never seen from him before. It almost breaks her enough to just stop what she's doing and wrap him into a great big hug so that they can cry together, but… she can't do that. No, that would be selfish. What matters most is being _his _shoulder to cry on. And from the looks of things, her risky business just might find some fruitful results if she plays her cards right.

"Well… A lot of the time, kids pick on each other because, well... they might not be so happy with themselves. Maybe they don't have awesome parents like you, or they can't draw super good. So when they see how many girl friends you have, they tease you because they wish they could be like that. Does that make sense?"

It scares her to say those things. She isn't even sure if she makes sense herself. But her heart was into it. She knows all to well what she means, even if she can't convey it well enough. And while Luna can't fully attest to her claims, she can at least see that much. So much so that she now places her hand on Carol's shoulder, giving it just a tight enough squeeze to let her know how much she loves her, how much the little things that could have driven them apart so many years ago ended up bringing them to where they are today. It makes them warm up in this cold time just a little…

And they feel even better when Collin asks them, "So what should I do?"

Their hearts flutter faster with the knowledge that this will go one of two ways. Either they can say the series of right things to make their little boy smile and laugh like they've seen him do so often before, or they'll fail. And while that won't be the end of the world, and they know they can't always win… it will still really bite. Especially when it matters so much right now for their son's confidence. For their own, really.

They look to each other's eyes, hoping to find some of that very same spark that made them look past those differences, to embrace the things they admire about one another, the things that made them fall in love and devote their lives to starting this family. It's just as powerful, just as strong as ever, and Luna rests her hand over Carol's to let her know that she can see that. To tell her that she doesn't have to be afraid either. And they can't help but smile just a little bit knowing that, no matter how this goes, they'll at least be able to work together to figure things out.

They look back to their son, ready to take a leap of faith in hopes that they can make him feel the same level of comfort, the same type of trust. Knowing she's done the second best between them so far, Luna stays silent, simply showing her support through her resting hand on Carol's shoulder, allowing her the time she needs to compose the thoughts she has to. It takes her a few seconds, but eventually, she feels comfortable with what she would like to say to the boy.

"Well, I think you should ignore them, and keep doing what you like to do. If that means being friends with girls, do it. If that means not playing video games, don't play video games. Just be yourself, and good things will happen to you." She knows she could just leave it at that, that it could possibly be just what her little boy needs to hear to rise up with the strength of his favorite heroes and face the rest of today and the duration of tomorrow. But she isn't just playing for keeps now. She wants to go for broke. She wants to make sure _both _her loved ones feel better. "That's how I met your mom," she finishes, looking up to her loving wife.

It makes Luna's little heart just melt in her chest in a way that's happened way too many times before. Just like that day they took their first selfie together, or the time she sang Chicago for her, or when they went to prom. She's able to fall in love with this person over and over again, all too easily, all too happily.

And as much as he loves his parents loving each other, even Collin thinks it gets a little funny. "You two are so sappy," he jokes, failing to keep a little smile from charming his own lips.

They're going to feel bad about this. They're going to whine and mope to each other later for allowing their son to feel so bad. But seeing him smile is enough to make them feel victorious, at least for the time being.

"Yeah, we kind of are," Carol agrees, offering to kiss Luna's hand before holding it in her own. She then focuses on clinching this discussion with some final words of encouragement, staying super serious as she looks into his eyes. "Listen, if this happens again, just tell us. We'll talk to your teacher, we'll do whatever we have to do. School is supposed to be fun," she says, using her free hand to rub his tender cheek, then his head of hair. She offers him her sweetest smile, letting him know that he's her everything.

Until she squints her eyes, like something is wrong...

"What?" he asks, growing a little worried.

Unfortunately, she doesn't ebb. In fact, she lets go of Luna's hand as she wears the worry on her face, scrutinizing his face and scalp. "Collin. Did you-? Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh!"

"What? What?!" he frets, feeling his eight year old heart pitter patter faster and faster. As if this day couldn't get any worse!

"Don't move!" Carol orders, keeping him still as she slowly runs her hand up to the top of his head. She then looks him in the eye, staying gravely serious as she whispers… "There's a brain sucker on your head."

Luna rolls her eyes and folds her arms, and Collin can only look to his mother with bewilderment before she continues.

"Do you know what it's doing?" she asks, maintaining her level of decorum.

"What's it doing?" he laughs, realizing she's just being silly.

"It's… _STARVING!" _Carol cries out. Then, she leaps up, grabbing her baby boy and wrestling him onto his bed as she uses her hand to try and such his brain right out of his skull like it's a demonic alien possessed. He laughs and he laughs and laughs, unable to fight the way it tickles as his mom ruffles his hair, and picks at his tummy.

"Mom! Help!" he cries to Luna, knowing that she's his only hope to fend off the dastardly brain sucker.

"Nope. She can't save you. The brain sucker is too hungry to be stopped," Carol tells him. How unfair.

Luna just watches on with amusement at the adorable display for a little bit, letting Carol enjoy being the cool mom for just a little longer before deciding she's earned her chance to steal that spotlight for herself. She takes a breath, then coolly begins pacing over. "Well, I just so happen to know how to kill even the _nastiest _brain sucker!" she claims.

Carol freezes, looking to her with the greatest shock she's ever known. "What?! No way!"

"Yes way! I know their weakness!" Luna proclaims. Then, she wickedly grins from ear to ear. "You have to… go for the head!" With that, she tackles her wife, wrestling her off of their son until she can get her pinned down by her wrists, left wide open and vulnerable for her to get her just desserts. And of course, they both laugh and smile all the while. "Get her Collin! Right in the brain!" instructs once she's sure the other mommy isn't going anywhere.

"_Rawr!" _he sounds, making his way over to start sucking her brain out with his own palm. She laughs until her brain has been sucked out well and good, and then she comes to terms with that fact that her time on this mortal coil is very short.

"Oh no! I have- _*cough cough,* _I have been vanquished!" she states.

The other two just smile at each other over a job well done, then look down to her again as she prepares her final words.

"Guys… come closer," she says, letting out another dying cough. They do as she's requested, leaning in to hear what she has to tell them. She grabs Collin by his shirt, being sure to bring him as close as possible to her whisper. "Tell my wife… and my son… _They eat butts…"_

"_Bleh,"_ she sounds with her untimely demise. Rest in peace, Carol Pingrey-Loud. It should really upset Luna and Collin, but instead, they have to laugh at just how funny the primadonna can really be. It makes them feel all sorts of giddy as she lies on the bed pretending to be dead, and she really drives it home with how she suddenly sparks back to life, standing up to announce, "Alright, enough horsing around, your mom wants ice cream."

No matter how sad he was, no matter how distracting brain suckers can be, nothing can stop the little boy from enjoying one of life's greatest delicacies. "Ice cream!" he screams as he triumphantly throws his hands in the air, eager to accept the offering life is granting him after such a poopy day at school.

Luna laughs, rubbing his head of hair before standing herself up too. "Alright, kiddo. Go get your shoes on and we'll get going."

In a perfect world, he'd be just as sappy and sentimental as his moms and offer them both nice, loving hugs before telling them he loves them. But in this reality, getting his sweet treat is far more important, and he rushes out of the bedroom before they can change their minds. It just makes Carol and Luna giggle, and they decide to hang back just a moment longer. Because, well, they're sappy and sentimental.

It's pretty easy to be though, considering where they stand and who they stand with. It took them almost twenty years to make it to this Ace Savvy plastered bedroom in their quaint, quiet suburban home, the one they've worked over forty hours a week alone, together to make a reality. It's been hard to keep in touch with friends and family members, heck, even each other through it all. But somehow, through the fires and symphonies, they're always able to make it back to little moments like this where the stars just happen to line up to them being able to stand hand in hand, smiles on faces as they look into those baby blues and pools of maroon.

It's almost perfect, but it isn't. Because while their beloved son is happy now, there's a chance this could be a temporary release from something more burdensome.

"We really need to talk later. Figure out what we're gonna do if this keeps happening," Carol states, deciding she's okay being the bad guy this time.

Not so bad though, because Luna knows it too, and she lets it be made clear with how she sighs. "Yeah, seriously." However, another little grin finds its way sneaking on her lips, and she nervously rubs her arm as she pussyfoots her way around looking back to her wife's eyes. "But, there's something else I wanted to talk about too..."

What could she possibly be smiling about? Was this something premeditated and preordained? Or did she just happen to have the thought while watching her try to suck their son's brain out like a goofball? Either way, Carol is more than curious, and she shows it with that way she raises a single brow.

Luna decides not to make a big fuss about. They can save the pomp and circumstances for later. For now, all she wants is to have some ice cream with her favorite people, and to tell Carol...

"We're not getting any younger. I think we should have another."

Her eyes widen and her jaw drops. After everything, this is the last thing she imagined Luna telling her after such a long day of work. But even with the shock and awe, she has to admit… the idea of another pair of little feet running around their home sounds absolutely lovely.

"Seriously?!" she chirps.

Luna just smiles back as she takes her hand in hers, "I'd love nothing more."

They sure will have a lot to discuss later, but for now, Carol can only come up with this to say. "I love you, you know that?"

"You better," Luna simply says in return, and they share a quick peck on the lips before walking out the room to join their son downstairs.

It won't be the last time they take him out to go get ice cream. It won't be the last time they have to be there for him when things get tough with school, with girls, with life as a whole. And if things work out well enough, they might just have to do the same for another little boy or girl. But that's what they signed up for. That's what the golden rings on their fingers are meant to signify.

Rings that come from a lifetime of being best friends, opposites attracting, life just having a funny way of working out. From the days of being strange bedfellow classmates being assigned to work together for a stupid project, to the day that they welcomed their son into the world on hospital bed, to this moment here and now, they know they can depend on each other. They know they can rely on their love to live as happy as they want to. They know that if they're ever lost, they can look, and they will find love…

Time after time.

THE END.

* * *

**Well, with a heavy heart, that concludes Caroluna week for this guy. This definitely isn't the last time I'll write about them, I still fully intend to finish Christmas Carol and probably Captain Carol… maybe lol. Anyway, I won't get too longwinded about that, but I will say a few things before I shut this doc and go outside.**

**First, thank you all so much for your continued support. It really is super appreciated, and I can't thank you guys enough for taking the time to read my works, and/or all the other things you do to support Caroluna. I want to give some special shoutouts to Sunny, Hero, Nick, and Fresh though. They've really helped me believe that this ship is more than something silly. It's good to know other people care.**

**Second, I'm going to be lame and plug my Twitter account, because I don't think I've ever done that on FFN before lol. My handle is JimsPillow, and I do all sorts of dumb stuff on there.**

**But yeah… I can't tell you how great it is to write about what I love, and it's even better if others enjoy it too. So thank you guys so much for everything. I love you 3000.**


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